For several days now, the NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has said that due to the high transmissibility of the Delta variant, restrictions including the possibility of an extended lockdown are likely to be needed until a much higher percentage of the adult population in Greater Sydney is vaccinated. Currently, less than 10 per cent of adults in Australia are fully vaccinated.
To encourage more people to get their vaccination sooner rather than later, the state will now make the AstraZeneca vaccine available to anyone aged 40 and over in Greater Sydney. People in this age bracket will now be able to book an appointment at any vaccination centre or hub in Greater Sydney. Previously, AstraZeneca was only recommended for people aged 60 and above, with the Pfizer vaccine being the preferred treatment for people aged under 60. However, supplies of Pfizer are finite and dwindling in Australia, with stocks not due to be replenished in NSW until September, whereas AstraZeneca is manufactured in Australia and therefore more readily available.
The state is also working to increase the number of vaccination sites by training pharmacists to administer AstraZeneca, increasing the current capacity by as much as 200,000 new vaccination sites across Greater Sydney. People aged under 40 can get the AstraZeneca jab after a consultation with their GP to discuss the very rare side effect of blood clots, which affects five to six per million recipients. Some people under 40 are also eligible for Pfizer if they meet certain requirements, such as being an essential worker. You can use the government's simple online Vaccine Eligibility Checker to find out if you meet the criteria.
Between 8pm on July 10 and 8pm on July 11, the state recorded 112 cases of community transmission, with at least 34 people infectious in the community. The premier said that the majority of cases were still being detected in Western Sydney, particularly in the Fairfield and Liverpool LGAs. While current lockdown measures are due to be lifted on Friday, July 16, the premier once again foreshadowed an extension to lockdown measures, saying "We don't have an answer for how long the lockdown will last at this point," adding that restrictions would remain in place until the number of people infectious in the community was zero.