Originally Posted by
jrfsp
Back on the topic of borders, Prof Murphy said today, "hopefully international travel will be possible in 2022". They keep moving the expectations further back. In 2020, they were hopefully for 2021, now its 2022. Even then it sounds like measures will still remain. "We might think about for example reducing the length of quarantine, or more home quarantine, particularly for vaccinated people. Our risk tolerance will change over the second half of this year. I think what I've said is nobody can really predict what will happen with international borders, I'm hopeful that pretty good international travel will happen next year but it's just too early to tell because there are things we don't know about the vaccines yet."
Currently my only incentive for vaccination is the possibility of international travel - if this is still heavily restricted, I wont be going and might hold off on vaccination.
The way I see it, the more vaccinated the population is, the more likely those making decisions will be prepared to increase their risk tolerance. Europe has ballsed up their vaccine rollout, but the UK and US are really powering ahead. The vaccine has demonstrated a very strong ability to reduce mortality and hospitalisation. If hospitals are not being overrun and citizens are not dying of covid, then the government will be forced to treat it like any other communicable disease.
The initial challenge is changing the mindset at state level. Now the election cycles have passed, there also seems to be positive noises in that area.. WA for example didn't lock out NSW last week as they have before and QLD CHO has indicated a reduced appetite for lockdowns... Haven't heard any bleatings about "Qld hospitals for Qlders' since the election.
I think we have reason for optimism in our industry.. but only if as a population in Australia we work for the greater good... ie i'm in an age bracket that is unlikely to die of Covid - but I will take either the AZ or Pfizer vaccine as soon as it is available.