“A million jabs over the next five weeks,” announced Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews. With that promise comes a major campaign boost in communications.
“We’re talking about a million jabs in arms over the next five weeks and it’s not just us standing here at press conferences, every medium will used to get the message out,” he said.
Over 200,000 COVID-19 vaccine appointments are open and more will come online. Over 200,000 doses will be administered per week as Victorians work to get 80 per cent coverage.
The Premier said the campaign will cover ads on television, print, radio and social media “all platforms will be used.”
“There are a million reasons to get vaccinated, whether it’s your job or somebody else’s job, your health or someone else’s health, so you can go to the MCG and watch your team win, so you can spend time with your grandkids, so you can travel around the country, and to travel around the world.
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He said that he believed that Victorians will “play their part” get vaccinated for themselves, their families and their community.
Neos Kosmos asked if the communications campaign will reach multicultural communities where there is still some vaccine hesitancy, and if it will go beyond “talking to leaders”
“Multicultural print news, online, radio, TV, social media – the works – every platform will be used,” he said.
“Tell all your friends and family that you got vaccinated, help mom and dad, or grandma or grandpa to get an appointment, it is incredibly important for yourself, it’s very important for your community.”
The Premier added that Victoria is a “brilliantly diverse community” and that means “we have to communicate in lots of different ways.”
He was asked if the Commonwealth Government wasn’t advertising enough in multicultural media, which he deflected by saying “we will always reserve the right to communicate to Victorians about what to do and what not to do.”
The Premier said it was “impressive and pleasing” to see the high numbers of Victorians aged 19 years to 39 years come forward for AstraZeneca “after last Sunday’s announcement to expand eligibility.”
As part of the campaign the Premier said he wants “all to be influencers – mums, dads, grandparents”.
Asked by Neos Kosmos if the yiayia could be a social media influencer the Premier laughed and said, “It is exactly what we want.”
“Every Victorian, regardless of who you are, what you do for a living, where you come from, what your circumstances are, there are literally a million reasons to get a jab over the next month.”
The Premier said that if we reach that target, we can look with confidence to “a much better 2022.”
He said that discussions have been had with other states and that “work is being done on vaccine passports.
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“When we get to 80 per cent the rules will change, once we open up, it will be a really dangerous place to be if you are not vaccinated.”
Premier Andrews referenced Florida and Texas where COVID19 has been classed as the pandemic of the unvaccinated.
The Premier said that agreement has been reached on a Commonwealth level that rules will change at 70 per cent, and 80 per cent vaccination rates.
Work vaccines mandated by employers, QR codes for events, dining and travel seem a certainty according to the Premier.
Neos Kosmos asked if the Premier will be working with the Commonwealth for more small business support, given the dire situation many small businesses are finding themselves in Victoria’s sixth lockdown.
The Premier said that another $360 million package was announced and $170 million was “out of the door and paid automatically”, with some changes.
“If we have to do more we will, we’ve listened to different industries and businesses, who said ‘look we need the package to be different, tailored to the needs that we’re facing now,” he said.
“And we certainly don’t rule out doing more, in fact I think we’ve showed very clearly, over these last few months, and beyond that we prepared to support business.”
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said that lockdowns should not be a feature of Victoria’s public health response when we hit 80 per cent vaccination.
He said the future of using lockdowns, once we reach an 80 per cent vaccination rate, was “a national conversation and a determination of civil society.”
Neos Kosmos asked whether Australia is becoming a hermit kingdom due to aggressive suppression strategies.
“Our aggressive suppression strategy… has served us very well.
“I don’t want us to be Florida with 16,000 people hospitalised, with the greatest number of children hospitalised at any point.”
Neos Kosmos pushed the CHO on why other jurisdictions in Europe with high vaccination rates, and new infections have freer movement.
Prof Sutton acknowledged that people in the UK are “moving about more, and they should think about being able to live differently with high vaccination coverage.”
“We need to see what 80 per cent will deliver us and I hope and expect that it doesn’t mean lockdowns, in the same way.
“What it means for international movement is yet to be determined, but I would expect that 80 per cent will give us more freedom to travel interstate and internationally.”
Prof Sutton agreed that all of us “are all looking to be able to see friends and family overseas and take holidays.”