Victoria recorded no new local cases of coronavirus for the 39th day in a row on Tuesday as travellers eagerly await an announcement by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that will reveal a start date for a trans-Tasman bubble with Australia.
Australians could book an overseas from today with a date for the bubble set to be announced this afternoon.
Quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand could resume within days.Credit:Getty Images
There were 7353 test results returned on Monday. Just one active case remains in Victoria – an international flight crew member who tested positive to COVID-19 on March 29.
The Health Department said a total of 443 vaccination doses were administered on Sunday by health services across Victoria, bringing the total number of vaccine doses administered here to 116,677.
The latest figures available from the federal government showed that as of Sunday, 841,885 vaccines had been administered nationally, more than three million short of the original four million target for the end of March.
Of those vaccines, more than 100,000 have been administered in Victoria, but government data does not explicitly show how many people have been vaccinated with one or two doses.
The shortfall comes as a new study suggests that young and low-income Australians are the most hesitant to receive a COVID vaccine.
The results from a global PwC study involving more than 1,000 Australians demonstrated a sharp difference in age groups’ willingness to get vaccinated. Only 39 per cent of respondents aged under 34 said they were willing to be vaccinated as soon as it becomes available, compared to 69 per cent aged 65 or over.
“The majority of people from younger generations are hesitant to receive the vaccine compared to older generations who are very enthusiastic to receive the vaccine when it becomes available, suggesting a potential feeling of urgency due to their perceived vulnerability,” the study said.
The study also indicated that only 62 per cent of low-income Australians would be willing to be vaccinated immediately or within 12 months, while 80 per cent of respondents in a high-income bracket would be.
On Monday, the Victorian government announced that all hotel quarantine workers in Victoria who will have face-to-face contact with returned travellers will have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine by the time international flights into the state resume on Thursday.
Almost 2300 quarantine hotel staff, police and Australian Defence Force personnel had already received both required shots, with another 2701 awaiting their second vaccine.
“Second doses are well under way, with all expected to be completed by the end of April. An ongoing vaccination program will continue for new staff,” a government spokesperson said.
“Only those vaccinated with at least one dose will be working in the hotel quarantine program.”
More to come
With Sumeyya Illanbey and Rachael Dexter
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