Covid-19 vaccine delays cost Australia $20 billion

SYDNEY: Australia’s sluggish Covid-19 vaccine rollout cost the nation at least $20 billion as strict lockdowns and other restrictions were unnecessarily prolonged, a government-backed inquiry concluded on Tuesday.

The 12-month inquiry singled out Australia’s initial lack of urgency in distributing Covid-19 vaccines, with then-prime minister Scott Morrison at one point declaring the rollout “not a race”.

Australia imposed some of the world’s most stringent restrictions during the pandemic, effectively sealing international borders for two years and locking down major cities for months on end.

Vaccine delays meant many cities reopened “months later” than they could have, the inquiry found, estimating a “direct economic cost” of at least $20 billion (Aus$31 billion).

“These procurement delays ultimately affected the timing of the vaccine rollout and prolonged restrictive public health measures that had by then been in place for over a year,” it concluded.

Although Australia’s Covid-19 response was largely successful, the inquiry found that restrictive measures and other blunders fuelled mistrust in scientists and public health officials.

In one notable lapse, a previous inquiry found thousands of passengers were allowed to disembark from a cruise ship before their Covid-19 test results were in.

Australia will establish a new centre for disease control to better plan for future pandemics, a key recommendation of the inquiry.