Australia looks to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine rollout to over-50s
April 19, 2021, 9:11 am

Australia looks to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine rollout to over-50s

A vial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is pictured at the Foch hospital in Suresnes, near Paris, France, February 8, 2021. (File photo: Reuters)

Australia plans to accelerate the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to people over 50 after advising under-50s not to get the AstraZeneca jab due to blood clot concerns, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday.

State leaders agreed to bring forward vaccinating over-50s, going beyond frontline workers, the elderly, the disabled and people with underlying medical conditions, at a national cabinet meeting, with formal approval due on Thursday, Morrison said in a statement.

They also agreed to set up mass inoculation sites as vaccine supplies increase.

Australia’s vaccine rollout has stalled due to supply hold-ups in Europe and concerns about blood clots tied to the AstraZeneca vaccine, which Australia has banked on for most of its supply.

So far 1.59 million shots have been given in a population of 25 million.

The country has expanded orders of the Moderna and Pfizer shots for younger people, but those batches are only due to arrive in the fourth quarter.

Morrison has said even if people are vaccinated he will not rush to open the country’s border, defying calls from state premiers urging him to ease travel curbs.

Right now in Australia, we are living in a way that the rest of the world is not. Vaccination will be an important mechanism to ensure that remains the case,” Morrison told reporters ahead of the national cabinet meeting.

“But I must stress this also, the international borders are also an incredibly important protection for Australians and I’m not about to relax those restrictions lightly,” he said.

So far, Australia only has a travel bubble with New Zealand, which reopened its border to visitors from across the Tasman Sea on Monday.

“I don’t agree with comments made last week to say that even if the vaccine’s rolled out to the population, that we still can’t travel. I don’t buy that,” New South Wales state premier Gladys Berejiklian said ahead of the national cabinet meeting.

source: Reuters

Image source: Reuters

Levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”