Australian Olympians headed to Tokyo are set to get early access to coronavirus vaccines

Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Richard Colbeck says the measure will not come at the cost of vulnerable Australians.

Australian athletes heading to the Tokyo Olympics are set to be given access to coronavirus vaccines before the event

Australian athletes heading to the Tokyo Olympics are set to be given access to coronavirus vaccines before the event Source: AAP

Australian athletes destined for the Tokyo Olympic Games will be prioritised for coronavirus vaccination.

National Cabinet on Tuesday agreed about 2,050 athletes and support staff would be vaccinated under priority group 1b, which includes health care workers, Indigenous Australian adults aged over 55 and elderly people over 70.

About 2,050 people will be vaccinated - up to 480 athletes and more than 1,500 support staff.

Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Richard Colbeck said the measure would not come at the cost of vulnerable Australians.

"While vulnerable Australians remain an absolute priority as the vaccine rollout continues, National Cabinet understands the pressure our high-performance athletes have been facing as the Tokyo Games draw closer," he said in a statement.

"We want to see our athletes head to Tokyo to compete and then return to Australia safely," Health Minister Greg Hunt added.
Some 1,969,337 vaccine doses have been administered in Australia, 205,203 of which were doled out in aged and disability care facilities.

Members of the team aged over 50 will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, while those under 50 will be jabbed with Pfizer.

Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll said the athletes would be vaccinated outside of the public health system, so as not to put any additional pressure on it.

"There will be hundreds of very grateful athletes, coaches and their families relieved to know that their hard work over five years has been worth it," he said in a statement welcoming the announcement.

"This added layer of assurance is what they were seeking."

The Tokyo Olympics will run from 23 July to 8 August, after they were postponed in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Athletes headed to the Paralympic Games, which will run from 24 August to 5 September, will also be jabbed early.

Earlier on Tuesday, it was revealed a number of Australians aged under 50 who are not on the priority list managed to get the Pfizer vaccine in Canberra after a rogue SMS started circulating.


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Source: AAP, SBS


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Australian Olympians headed to Tokyo are set to get early access to coronavirus vaccines | SBS News