The Australian government has not ruled out offering financial incentives in a bid to increase coronavirus vaccine uptake.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly on Monday said it was important the government considered “as many incentives as we can” amid fears the rollout had been hampered by complacency and vaccine hesitancy.
Kelly said vaccine passports and the ability to travel abroad or interstate without restrictions had been “a matter of discussion for some time” and would again be discussed at National Cabinet in the coming weeks.
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But he didn’t stop there.
When asked whether novelties such as discounts, merchandise and cash lotteries, were an option, he said all options are “potentially on the table”.
“At the moment we do know there is some hesitancy, particularly in the 50-69 year age group ... so there is something we need to consider there and we can certainly look at that,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
The US state of Ohio recorded a boost in inoculations after announcing a special lottery that would give away a weekly $US1 million prize to vaccinated adults and full scholarships to vaccinated children.
Other US states have also offered their own incentives, including $US100 saving bonds to people aged 16 to 35 in West Virginia, free beers in New Jersey, and free MetroCards for anyone who gets a shot at a New York subway vaccination site.
‘Your health’
Kelly said the two new ‘likely’ local coronavirus cases uncovered in Melbourne on Monday were a stark reminder not to wait for a jab, adding that the main incentive should be protecting your health.
“I think the main incentive is the one I have mentioned many times, about protecting your own health, not sitting there, waiting for an outbreak, because once an outbreak is here, it will be very difficult for us to rollout masses and masses of vaccines quickly,” he said.
“So the more we can get vaccinated now, the better the situation will be when that day comes.”
“My plea to all Australians is, if you are in those groups that are eligible for the vaccine at the moment, get the vaccine as quickly as possible,” he continued.
“Some of these incentives will be talked about in coming days and weeks, but I think the main incentive is because it is actually going to protect you and your family in the community.”
About 3.6 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have so far been administered across the country, through a mix of AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs.
The overall national number is far short of what the government was hoping for, due in large part to supply issues, but the rollout could soon receive a shot in the arm.
The government is promising two million doses of Pfizer will arrive in Australia each week from the start of October.
This could see every Australian who wants protection from COVID-19 fully immunised by the end of this year.
- with NBC/AP/AAP