Western Australia is the largest state, covering a third of
Australia’s land area. It also has the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, in
part because the state has had few infections and life has been relatively
normal throughout the pandemic.
Western Australia is the only Australian state or territory
that does not intend to reopen this year. Vaccinated Australians have been free
to travel the world through east coast airports in coronavirus-affected Sydney
and Melbourne since Monday when a 20-month-old international travel ban was
lifted.
Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan on Friday set a
vaccination target of 90% of the population aged 12 and older for the border
restrictions to be relaxed. The milestone was forecast to be reached in late
January or early February.
McGowan said he would set a date for the state to reopen
once 80% of the target population had been vaccinated, which is expected to
happen in mid-December.
Once that reopening date was set, it would stand even if the
vaccination rate fell short of 90% by then.
“As far as world standards go, a rate of 90% will be an
amazing achievement,” McGowan said.
“Given our current vaccination rates, these targets are
realistic and within our sights,” he added.
Only 63.7% of the target population in Western Australia was
fully vaccinated, according to state data. Nationally, 79.6% of the population
aged 16 and older were fully vaccinated, according to federal government data
released on Friday.
Other states have or intend to substantially relax pandemic
restrictions once 80% of their populations aged 16 and older are vaccinated.
Western Australia’s sparsely populated north has some of the
lowest vaccination rates in the country.
McGowan said parts of the state could be isolated by
intrastate borders if their vaccination rates continued to lag. Such areas
include the Pilbara region where the nation’s lucrative iron ore mining
operations are based.
“Cutting off the Pilbara, or any region for that matter, is
not something I want to do,” McGowan said.
“But if that’s what is required to protect the local
community and local industries, then we will take that step based on the health
advice at the time,” he added.
Government modeling showed that reopening that state at the
90% vaccination benchmark rather than 80% would mean COVID-19 cases occupying
70% fewer hospital beds, 75% few intensive care beds and 63% fewer deaths,
McGowan said.
“The difference in easing border controls at 90% rather than
80% is 200 West Australian lives are saved,” McGowan said.
If the state falls short of the 250,000 additional people it
needs to get vaccinated to reach the 90% target, additional pandemic measures
will be required on the date it reopens, McGowan said.
Western Australia has accounted for only nine of Australia’s
1,781 COVID-19 deaths.
Four of those deaths were passengers and crew from the
German-operated cruise ship MV Artania who were brought ashore for hospital
treatment in the capital Perth. The state’s last COVID-19 death was reported in
April 2020. -AP
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