Slow vaccine rollout could keep Australia isolated into 2022

While much of the world contends with a surge in Covid-19 cases, Australia takes another big step toward normality this weekend when about 100,000 football fans will gather in the nation’s largest sports stadium, without having to wear masks. The government has tamed the virus by shuttering the international border and through rigorous testing and contact tracing, giving Australians an enviable level of freedom. But after winning the containment battle, the country now risks losing the vaccination war as supply shortages and a slow rollout jeopardize the economic recovery. International tourism and higher education have little chance of recovering until the borders reopen -- and that won’t happen until most of the population has been vaccinated. With only 1.7m shots delivered so far in a nation of almost 26 million, Australia is ranked 93rd on Bloomberg’s Global Vaccine Tracker. The timeline for vaccinating all Australians by October has slipped, potentially into early next year, when PM Scott Morrison’s government will seek re-election. “Some voters will feel the shine of managing the pandemic wear off if they see Australia trailing all these other countries in their vaccination rollouts,” said Jill Sheppard, a political analyst at the Australian National University in Canberra. “That could particularly hit Morrison around election time if they feel poor decision-making by the government is affecting their hip pocket.”<br/>