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Many parents, desperate to have their children vaccinated against COVID before school starts, had eagerly booked in for appointments this week as the vaccination rollout for 5-11 year olds finally began.
But reports are emerging of parents learning their child’s appointment has been cancelled or rescheduled due to “delivery delays” – even as federal COVID-19 Task Force Commander Lieutenant General John Frewen assures Australians that “supply isn’t the issue; we’ve got enough vaccines”.
So what might be behind the delays?
As Archa Fox explains today, the same staffing issues resulting in empty supermarket shelves could be affecting the vaccine distribution network too. Thousands of drivers, administration staff, packers and logistics planners could be furloughed, off sick with Omicron or in isolation because a household member is.
Shoring up domestic manufacturing of mRNA vaccines, she argues, would hopefully mean a shorter and less complex supply chain with less opportunity for difficulties in future.
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Sunanda Creagh
Senior Editor
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Archa Fox, The University of Western Australia
We’re reliant on overseas supply - and the many moving parts of delivery. Each of those parts require staff on the ground – and many workers in this system are likely being affected by Omicron.
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Joe McIntyre, University of South Australia
The tennis star was granted a reprieve on procedural grounds, but it left the larger question of his entitlement to a medical exemption from vaccination unanswered.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Turning Serbia’s national hero into Australia’s national villain has been harder than the government thought. It’s an own goal for the latest “operation sovereign borders” chapter.
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Toby Walsh, UNSW
Basic research is best when it’s allowed to proceed on merit, rather than with political interference, says an open letter from 63 leading researchers protesting government interference in ARC grants.
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Aram Goudsouzian, University of Memphis
Poitier dazzled Hollywood with on-screen grace and bankability. His dignified roles and respectable values forever changed the image of Blacks, then mostly portrayed as maids, buffoons or criminals.
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Renée M. Prokopavicius, Western Sydney University; David S. Ellsworth, Western Sydney University; Sebastian Pfautsch, Western Sydney University
important decisions must be made today for urban greening programs to succeed in a warmer world.
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Chris Zehntner, Southern Cross University
Non-swimming adults must first get familiar with the different sensations in and underwater.
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Health + Medicine
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John Cronin, Auckland University of Technology
You don’t have to join a weightlifting class to build strength in your muscles. Adding small loads while walking or swimming will have a similar training effect.
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Science + Technology
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Ettore Camerlenghi, Monash University; Anne Peters, Monash University
The hidden social lives of fairy-wrens are just as complex as those of animals with much larger brains, including monkeys, whales and even humans.
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Environment + Energy
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Bruce Glavovic, Massey University; Iain White, University of Waikato; Tim Smith, University of the Sunshine Coast
What should climate scientists do in the face of ever rising emissions? They could continue providing more evidence, join climate activists – or stop work in protest against government inaction.
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Arts + Culture
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Ursula Kennedy, University of Southern Queensland
Like a glass of wine, but not sure how to talk about it? Here are some helpful tips to get you started.
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Business + Economy
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Saul Eslake, University of Tasmania
Small businesses are less productive, less innovative and pay staff less than big ones, and even before the pandemic they were shedding jobs.
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Featured jobs
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Featured Events & Courses
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— Victoria, Australia — The Conversation Weekly Podcast
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— Australian Capital Territory, Australia — Politics with Michelle Grattan
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— UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia — UNSW
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— UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia — UNSW
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