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A timeline thread on Australia’s vaccines 
19/8/20 PM media release: ‘Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, if it proves successful, through an agreement between the Australian Government &...AstraZeneca.’
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/new-deal-secures-potential-covid-19-vaccine-every-australian
19/8/20 PM media release: ‘Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, if it proves successful, through an agreement between the Australian Government &...AstraZeneca.’
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/new-deal-secures-potential-covid-19-vaccine-every-australian
7/9/20 Govt announces $1.7 billion Uni of Oxford/AstraZeneca & the Uni of QLD/CSL Manufacturing agreements. PM says “a home-grown sovereign plan for vaccines is the hope I bring to Australians today.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australia-secures-onshore-manufacturing-agreements-two-covid-19-vaccines
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australia-secures-onshore-manufacturing-agreements-two-covid-19-vaccines
5/11/20 Govt announced 2 more vaccines, Novavax (40 million doses) & 10 million doses Pfizer/BioNTech. PM “...our Strategy puts Australia at the front of the queue, if our medical experts give the vaccines the green light.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australia-secures-further-50-million-doses-covid-19-vaccine
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australia-secures-further-50-million-doses-covid-19-vaccine
5/11/20 PM “our policy and program, led by Prof Murphy, on getting Australia at the front of the pack when it comes to vaccines”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/doorstop-randwick-nsw-0
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/doorstop-randwick-nsw-0
11/12/20 PM “...what we can do is vaccinate our population twice over. And we have one of the highest ratios of availability of doses of any country in the world…”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-11
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-11
1/1/2021 PM “we're being careful to ensure that we dot all the Is & we cross all the Ts...We're moving promptly to do that...but we're not cutting corners...On the vaccine, you don't rush to failure. That's very dangerous for Australians.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-2
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-2
5/1/21 PM “I don't think Australians want us just willy-nilly sending out vials of vaccine that haven't had their batches tested, which is the normal process that occurs with any TGA approved vaccine.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/interview-tony-jones-3aw
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/interview-tony-jones-3aw
7/1/21 PM: “we are now in a position where we believe we'll be able to commence vaccinations of high priority groups in mid to late February.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-12
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-12
22/1/21 PM “no we haven't announced any date...we've talked about getting things done in mid to late February. These things...are very conditional upon the supply arrangements coming out of Pfizer in particular.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/interview-neil-breen-4bc-4
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/interview-neil-breen-4bc-4
22/1/21 PM “our process is world leading. It's world class. It's a process that I believe Australians can have a lot of confidence in. We're not rushing this, nor are we delaying it. We are getting it right.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-brisbane-qld-0
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-brisbane-qld-0
25/1/21 TGA approve Pfizer vaccine
PM “we remain on track to have those vaccines in Australia & ready to go from very small beginnings... very small beginnings, starting small...We are more looking at late February now than mid-February...”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-25-01-21
PM “we remain on track to have those vaccines in Australia & ready to go from very small beginnings... very small beginnings, starting small...We are more looking at late February now than mid-February...”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-25-01-21
1/2/21 PM “from the end of February...we'll be able to start vaccinating those in the most sensitive areas, those most vulnerable, those frontline health workers...& then over the course of the year, we expect to get through the population by October.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/interview-tracy-grimshaw-current-affair
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/interview-tracy-grimshaw-current-affair
12/2/21 PM “our vaccination programme, it's on track & it's sovereign. We're doing it here in Australia...within a matter of weeks, starting next week, as they finish, they do the final stage of that process. I call it the bottling process...”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-parkville-vic
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-parkville-vic
15/2/21 Health Minister Greg Hunt announces "The Eagle has landed. I am pleased to be able to tell Australians that shortly after midday, the first shipment of Pfizer vaccines arrived in Australia." https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/doorstop-interview-on-15-february-2021
16/2/21 TGA approves AstraZeneca vaccine. PM Morrison says “Our vaccination programme is on track.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-16feb2021
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-16feb2021
19/2/21 PM “We're ready to go. That's the clear message when it comes to rolling out this vaccine...” Says Astra can’t be rolled out yet because “the AstraZeneca vaccine has not yet arrived in Australia”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-camperdown-nsw
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-camperdown-nsw
21/2/21 Vaccinations commence. PM “We said we’d get there by October and that’s, we’re on track” https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-castle-hill-nsw
28/2/21 Govt announce 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arrive in Australia https://www.pm.gov.au/media/300000-astrazeneca-vaccine-doses-arrive-australia
4/3/21 Italy blocks the export of 250,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/04/italy-blocks-export-of-250000-astrazeneca-vaccine-doses-to-australia
9/3/21 PM “it's a strategy that was pulled together last year and has been meticulously worked through even to now as we roll the vaccines out. So, yes, I do remain confident about that. That doesn't mean we won't hit some obstacles...” https://www.pm.gov.au/media/doorstop-pyrmont-nsw
10/3/21 PM “...a total of 1.3 million - 1.3 million - doses of both the AstraZeneca and the Pfizer vaccine here in the country. And yesterday, we went past the mark where 100,000 of those have already been jabbed into the arms of Australians.” https://www.pm.gov.au/media/doorstop-symonston-act
10/3/21 Brendan Murphy “the major target has always been to offer every adult Australian a vaccine by the end of October. & that's what we're working to, and particularly to get those vulnerable people in phase 1A & 1B vaccinated as quickly as possible by the middle of this year”
11/3/21 PM “we will get this done by October as we said we would.”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/interview-sunrise-7
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/interview-sunrise-7
11/3/21 Prof Murphy fronts Senate Committee “Most people with AstraZeneca will have had two by then, but there may be some at the end of the October that might have only had one...a semantic difference...”
12/3/21 PM Morrison “The first does will be administered by the end of October – that’s what I meant.”
11/3/21 Denmark suspends rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine because of concerns about rare cases of possible associated blood clotting among some who received the jab. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/denmark-norway-suspend-use-of-astra-vaccine-over-blood-clots-concerns-121031200060_1.html
14/3/21 160k people in Australia vaccinated.
Govt provides update.
PM Morrison “we did expect to get 3.8 million doses of AstraZeneca & even a little bit more Pfizer than we got early on in February and March..But in fact, we only got 300,000 of the 3.8 million in February..”
Govt provides update.
PM Morrison “we did expect to get 3.8 million doses of AstraZeneca & even a little bit more Pfizer than we got early on in February and March..But in fact, we only got 300,000 of the 3.8 million in February..”
PM cont’d “& then another 400,000 of AstraZeneca from overseas has only just arrived recently. So we're 3.1 million doses short of AstraZeneca vaccine from what we thought we would have in that initial ramp up. & again, we also thought we might have had a little bit more Pfizer”
PM cont’d “We remain on track for the first doses of all of the vaccines, for all of those who are seeking them in Australia, by that I mean the AstraZeneca and the Pfizer vaccines, to be available for those who want in Australia by the end of October.”
PM also said “We contracted for the best, but we planned for the worst. And planning for the worst meant that we needed our own domestic capability to produce vaccines here in Australia. Now, I can't tell you how important that decision has been. That is the game changer.”
Prof Murphy “both very, very good vaccines that prevent severe disease, hospitalisation in all age groups, including the elderly. So I want to again kill off any sort of narrative that there might be a suggestion that one is better than the other...” https://www.pm.gov.au/media/doorstop-castle-hill-nsw
18/3/21 PM “were it not for the fact that our Government took the strategic decision last August to not rely on international supply of vaccines, then Australia would not have a vaccination programme now”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-36
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-36
19/3/21 PM “domestic production of the AstraZeneca vaccine here in Australia is the most significant decision that has been made to ensure that Australia has a vaccination program. Without our govt’s decision to ensure that those vaccines were produced here in Australia”
26/3/21 PM: “Today, we should get to around 450,000 people who are vaccinated...just over a half a dozen countries in the world that make ..the AstraZeneca vaccine. That is the small club we're in and we're leading that club”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/doorstop-parkville-vic
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/doorstop-parkville-vic
29/3/21 Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recomends pause the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine on those under the age of 55 because of safety concerns https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/astrazeneca-under-55-1.5968128
30/3/21 Minister David Littleproud on QLD vaccine roll out "They have done three-fifths of bugger all and they are holding this nation back..”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/31/nsw-and-queensland-premiers-hit-back-after-morrison-government-blames-states-for-slow-covid-vaccine-rollout
30/3/21 Brad Hazzard says “not happy at all today...The federal government should be offering apologies to not only our government but other governments around the country”
30/3/21 Brad Hazzard says “not happy at all today...The federal government should be offering apologies to not only our government but other governments around the country”
31/3/21 PM “when 3 million or so vaccines aren’t able to be delivered to Australia because of the vaccine release out of Europe in particular, that was obviously going to impact the early success. But we are already at over 650,000…” (1/2)
PM cont’d “...Not interested in people who want to play politics with vaccines & distribution and all of that sort of thing, I will leave the politics to those who want to play politics. It's my job to get people vaccinated...”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-raytheon-australia-adelaide-sa
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-raytheon-australia-adelaide-sa
6/4/21 PM “challenges Australia has had has been a supply problem. It is pure & simple. There was over 3 million doses from overseas that were contracted that never came. And that's obviously resulted in an inability to get 3 million other doses out..” https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-060421
6/4/21 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trial in children is paused as MHRA investigates blood clots in adults
6/4/21 "We are still on track to hit our target of ... every adult getting a first dose by the end of October. We will get that by increasing our vaccine supply. That is the only constraint." – Prof Brendan Murphy tells @leighsales on @abc730 https://twitter.com/abc730/status/1379371775339847681?s=21
7/4/21 “7.30 is a very good program, Leigh, a very good program, and we do get a lot of our information from you.” - NSW Health Minister @BradHazzard on where he gets information about the vaccine rollout. https://twitter.com/abc730/status/1379732784462241794?s=21
7/4/21 PM “I want to stress that at no time yesterday did I make any comment about the actions of the European Union, nor did I indicate any of the background reasons for the lack of supply that we have received from those contracted doses...”
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-070421
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-070421
7-8/4/21 British regulator (MHRA), says that while it can’t be certain yet of the link between AstraZeneca & clotting, recommends healthy adults under the age of 30 be given a different vaccine https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/07/under-30s-in-uk-should-be-offered-alternative-covid-vaccine-to-astrazeneca-jab-says-regulator
8/4/21 Australian Govt announces changes to AstraZeneca. recommendation Pfizer vaccine be provided to adults under age 50. & AstraZeneca should only be given as a 1st dose to adults under age 50 where benefit clearly outweighs risk for that individual
https://www.pm.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/atagi-advice.pdf
https://www.pm.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/atagi-advice.pdf
12/4/21 via a statement on Facebook PM Morrison says while he would like to see doses administered "by the end of the year", it was "not possible to set such targets given the many uncertainties involved". https://www.9news.com.au/national/covid-vaccine-scott-morrison-refuses-to-put-target-on-australians-receiving-first-doses/f837f55e-34b0-4c18-81de-837bae3c0f55
