Vaccine rollout at risk of stalling

Australia’s vaccine campaign has accelerated in recent months, but we estimate that the pace of vaccinations would have to double to inoculate the adult population by year-end. Unfortunately, Australia’s overreliance on the AstraZeneca vaccine, whose usage is restricted to those above 60 years of age for medical reasons, means that the vaccine rollout risks stalling over the weeks unless deliveries from Pfizer pick up significantly. With the more contagious delta variant now spreading in Sydney, a full recovery in the hardest-hit sectors of the economy is therefore still some way off.