Australia hits 80 vaccination target as Victoria records 1268 new cases seven deaths

Australia has passed another vaccine milestone, with more than 80 per cent of residents over 16 now fully vaccinated against coronavirus, as Victoria recorded 1268 new cases and seven deaths from the virus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison thanked those who had been involved in the “extraordinary effort” to drive up the vaccination rate, saying it will allow the country to remain safely open.

A student visits a temporary pop-up COVID-19 vaccination hub at Glenroy College.Credit:Eddie Jim

“That’s four out of every five [Australians vaccinated]. How good is that?” he said in a video posted to Facebook.

“This has been a true national effort: in cities and suburbs and towns, in hospitals and pharmacies, in aged care facilities, disability homes.

“Australians haven’t just kept themselves safe, we’ve kept each other safe over these two years. I know it’s felt like a long journey, and that’s because it has been. But together, we’ve saved well over 30,000 lives.”

Around 36 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have now been administered across the country.

Victoria’s Department of Health said over 82 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated and there are 651 people in hospital across the state, with 106 in intensive care and 70 on a ventilator.

More than 65,000 test results were returned across Thursday, with 15,058 vaccination doses administered in state-run centres.

The numbers of coronavirus cases connected to Victorian schools comes as national cabinet considers rapid testing school students, childcare educators, hospital workers and aged care staff in a bid to prevent outbreaks in high-risk settings.

On Friday, national cabinet tasked the federal Health Department and the country’s chief medical officers with designing a national guide on where and how often rapid antigen tests should be used and what to do with positive results.

State and territory leaders were advised by the Doherty Institute that twice-weekly rapid antigen testing of students could significantly reduce the chance of school outbreaks.

Children aged four and under make up about 6 per cent of the population but account for 19 per cent of unvaccinated Australians.

With Adam Carey, Anna Prytz, Rachel Clun and Katina Curtis.

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