Prime Minister Scott Morrison referred to the adjustments which Australia has had to make in response to COVID-19. He said “when the circumstances change you must change with them,” he said. “Under the earlier strains of this virus, then most tools did enable us to be able to prevent lockdowns, it did enable us to manage when cases emerged.”

Mr Morrison said he had a warm discussion with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis last night. They compared notes on responding to the COVID-19 challenges, particularly the Delta strain and their respective vaccination programs, expanding trade opportunities through the EU-Australia FTA currently being negotiated, climate change, and cooperation on multilateral organisations.

Australia’s Prime Minister invited Prime Minister Mitsotakis to visit Australia.

“The targets that are part of this plan, the vaccination targets of 70 per cent to get to changed with Delta strain. And our response has had to change with those changing circumstances,” he said.

“Of course the virus will never be eliminated. It can take a very, very long time for any infectious disease that is resident in any population around … the next phase and 80 per cent to phase C are based on the world’s best scientific analysis and economic advice.

“Australia has been well served over these more than 18 months as we have chartered our own Australian way through this pandemic.

“An Australian way with Australian results that are different to almost every other country in the world bar a few – an Australian way that has delivered Australian results that has saved Australian results that has saved more than 30,000 lives. 30,000 Australians and more would be dead today were it not for the Covid response that Australia has put in place.”

The Doherty Institute modelling about the vaccine coverage has shown that 70 per cent of adults aged over 16 will need to move into phase B to help Australia live with the virus.

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Vaccination is a big part of the answer when it comes to ending lockdowns and the Institute would like the program to be opened to the under 40s as widely as possible.

In reference to the economic costs of the virus, Australia’s Treasurer Josh Frydenberg used Victoria as an example.

“Should Australia see nationwide stage 4 restrictions, as we saw in Victoria in August of last year, the cost to the national economy is $3.2 billion a week,” he said.

“Should we see stage 3 restrictions across the country, the nature of which we saw last May, the cost to the economy is $2.35bn per week.

“These numbers underline the imperative of Australians getting vaccinated. It is the way out of this crisis and it is the way to avoid, in the future, longer, more severe lockdowns.”

Mr Morrison said that last Friday, the government announced Australia’s “plan to live with the virus”.

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“I announced the whole country’s plan to get us back to that position where we can ultimately live with this virus in the same way we live with other infectious diseases that are present in the community and we can get on with our lives.”

Currently Australia is in Phase A – Vaccinate, Prepare and Pilot. Phase B will be the Vaccination Transition Phase as 70 per cent of the eligible Australian population is vaccinated, while Phase C will come as vaccination rates hit 80 per cent.