The emergence of the omicron variant caused the government to put a two week pause on the reopening plan, which was due to come into effect on December 1. But on Monday, Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the government was still moving forward with the plan. “We said on the 29th of November that we were intending to reopen on 15 December. That has been through the National Cabinet process,” he told reporters in Melbourne. “That has been reaffirmed over the weekend in consultation with the Prime Minister, the National Cabinet discussion and the advice from the Chief Medical Officer.”Meanwhile, Mr Hunt also shot down concerns the AstraZeneca vaccine may not provide protection against the Omicron variant. A small study conducted by British government scientists found people who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had minimal protection against the new strain. A course of two Pfizer doses offered little more than 30 per cent protection. But a booster shot, if using Pfizer, can bring protection levels back up to 71 per cent for AstraZeneca recipients and 76 per cent for Pfizer. Asked about the study, Mr Hunt said the advice from Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly is that the vaccine continued to provide protection against hospitalisation and death. “The advice continues to be that all of our vaccines provide strong, clear protection against serious illness, hospitalisation and loss of life. That is a very important point,” he told reporters in Melbourne. “We will continue to follow the medical evidence and if there were additional advice, we will follow that.”On Sunday, Australia’s vaccine advisory body gave the green light to reducing the wait time to receive a booster down to five months. Mr Hunt said Australia had 151 million vaccine doses set aside for the booster program. So far, 670,000 Australia have already received their third shot. Overnight, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared all Britons aged 18 and over will have a chance to receive a booster shot due to rising fears about he Omicron strain. “There is a tidal wave of Omicron coming, and I‘m afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need,” he said. The booster program was due to be opened to those aged over 30 on Monday, but Mr Johnson said every adult who received their second vaccine three months before will now be able to book a booster jab. It comes as Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce left the door open to changing the definition of fully vaccinated. “If greater efficacy meant getting double jabbed and a booster that I guess that‘s what the medical authorities will say,” he told Sunrise.
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