Two more Victorians have died with Covid as the state recorded another 779 new cases overnight.It comes as 76.9 per cent of eligible Victorians have received a single dose of a Covid vaccine, while 47 per cent are fully vaccinated.More than 34,200 Covid vaccines were administered on grand final day.The state currently has 8011 active cases after more than 46,000 Victorians turned out for a Covid test on Saturday.It comes as unvaccinated Victorians are being urged to approach GPs and pharmacies for the jab, with more than 600,000 doses a week set to be available at primary care clinics in October. The big surge in mRNA vaccines, which include Pfizer and Moderna, is set to turbocharge the race towards 80 per cent of eligible Victorians being fully vaccinated and the reopening of society.NED-4588-VIC-roadmap-out-of-lockdownIt comes after the Saturday Herald Sun yesterday revealed 970,000 doses of Pfizer will be sent to Victoria next month to speed up our path to freedom.The chance of reaching the key roadmap date of November 5 is set to be bolstered by the fact many GPs have enough supply to only wait three weeks between Pfizer doses, while pharmacies deliver Moderna doses a month apart.The state is also reviewing whether it will now have sufficient supply in its hubs – set to be about 265,000 doses a week by the end of October – to reduce its spacing of Pfizer jabs from six weeks down to three. Despite renewed optimism, the state will narrowly miss its first reopening measure — 80 per cent of eligible Victorians having a single dose by Sunday, September 26 — that would have allowed for low-key activities such as golf and tennis. Alongside the vaccine race, there are now serious concerns about a potential surge in Covid cases due to illegal grand final gatherings that could impact the state’s health system. Health Minister Martin Foley said he remained confident other dates on the reopening roadmap would be met, however.Vaccinate target chart“We continue to be confident that we will meet those 70 and 80 per cent double dose figures in the indicative dates that we have indicated,” he said. He said the state was reviewing when it could slash the time between Pfizer doses at state clinics but was prioritising getting first jabs into arms in hot spots at the moment. “We are hopeful that in terms of the projections that we want to land, particularly in the north and particularly in the west, and particularly in the southeast, that come sometime in October, we will be in a position to bring that forward.” Mr Weimar said GPs and pharmacies would be well stocked next month. “Please, don’t only use the state clinics, if you can’t get an appointment at state clinics go to your GPs, go to the pharmacist,” he said. The Covid commander also said he feared an explosion of cases from illegal gatherings this weekend. Of 847 cases revealed on Saturday, several hundred were likely to have come from “social interactions between households”. “Please don’t visit other people’s homes. The restrictions are there in place to avoid this,” he said.A man in his 80s from Hume also died from the virus on Friday.That area has been the focus of vaccine pop-ups hubs in recent days, which Mr Weimar said had seen first-jab rates soar 15 per cent. Several small clusters have emerged in regional Victoria, which means Mitchell Shire is unlikely to emerge from lockdown on Sunday night. Mr Foley said there was a “bit more confidence” that Greater Geelong would be freed on Sunday night, while the Surf Coast was guaranteed to be released from lockdown. SA TO WELCOME FULLY VAXXED VICTORIANSFully vaccinated Victorians from low-risk LGAs could be allowed into South Australia from mid-November under a staged reopening of its border. That’s when South Australia is predicted to reach an 80 per cent Covid-19 double-dose vaccination rate.SA Premier Steven Marshall said the state was “fully committed” to achieving the end of statewide lockdowns before Christmas. In a gradual process, it is understood the first stage would involve admitting fully vaccinated people from low-risk local government areas. Vaccination passports could also be required for Victorians.But the border concessions will not start immediately after the 80 per cent inoculation threshold for people aged 16 and over is crossed, because health authorities are also monitoring disparate vaccination rates across areas within SA. It is understood Mr Marshall has also been advised to consider slightly delaying the reopening if people are clamouring for vaccinations even when the rate reaches 80 per cent. It is understood Mr Marshall is preparing to explain the rationale behind the reopening in a bid to continue the “social contract” thought to be essential to maintaining public co-operation with reasonable restrictions and guidelines. This is said to involve continuing to listen to expert advice about protecting the state from Covid-19 while responding to a growing public desire to open up the state. Plans to oversee the entry of fully inoculated people are not known, although Mr Marshall repeatedly has spelled out the intention for vaccination passports to be included in the mySA GOV app used for QR code check-ins. There also is potential to adopt the G2G Pass system used by Western Australia and Tasmania, which allows upload of vaccination passport, driver’s licence and other credentials when applying for a digital entry permit to those states. Plans for later stages of the state’s reopening also are not known, although these are likely to be politically sensitive given the next state election is scheduled for March 19. Frontline doctors, nurses and ambulance groups on Friday urged a boost to healthcare capacity before borders opened to the “inevitable” surge in Covid-19 cases, regardless of vaccination targets. Victoria reached a 47 per cent double vaccination rate on Saturday and the national double vaccination rate passed 51 per cent. The expected mid-November 80 per cent vaccination threshold demonstrates an acceleration of the rollout since mid-August, when chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said “hideous” lockdowns and border closures could end by Christmas when SA will likely hit the 80 per cent target. From October 11, essential travellers from Victoria, NSW and the ACT must have had at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine to be permitted to enter SA, while that mandate applies to commercial transport and freight workers arriving by road from October 7. NED-4476-Covid-19-Vaccine-Rates-MelbourneFOOTY FANS KICKING JAB GOALSFooty fans are taking their turn to kick some goals — this time, for Victorian vaccination rates. Thousands of Moderna doses are newly available at eligible chemists, leaving pharmacists brimming with hope that vaccine targets will be hit sooner rather than later. Pharmacist Claudio Avendano said it was fantastic that another vaccination option had become available in Moderna.“We have had significant interest in Moderna from the public and the signs are strong that people will make the most of this opportunity,” Mr Avendano said. “Pharmacies and pharmacists alike are ecstatic.As health professionals, we are rapt that we can contribute to the Victorian vaccine effort in a genuinely meaningful way.”Mr Avendano hoped the expansion of Moderna to pharmacies would be a “game changer” to meet and even exceed the targets set by the state government. “I am extremely pleased that pharmacists are able to help fulfil this community need,” he said. “Bookings are already being made, so I am confident the introduction of this jab will boost both our rates and our immunity quickly.” With higher vaccination rates comes the promise of eased restrictions and a return to normal life, underpinning Moderna as a “fantastic option” for all eligible citizens
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