From LR: Australian athletes AJ Roach, Henry Hutchinson, Marina Carrier, Jake Birtwhistle, Charlotte Caslick, Lisa Darmanin, Katie Ebzer, Lucy Stephan, Maurice Longbottom and Tom O’Halloran are announcing competition uniforms for the ASICS Australian Olympic team. The Tokyo 2020 Games were held in front of the Sydney Opera House on March 31, 2021. (Stephen Safor / Getty Images)
Australian athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be given priority to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Tuesday, the National Cabinet announced that the Australian Olympic team, which has 480 athletes and more than 1,500 support staff, Priority group 1bThis includes healthcare professionals, seniors over 70, Aboriginal Australians over 55, and adults with underlying illness or severe disability in particular.
“We want athletes to head to Tokyo and safely return to Australia,” said Health Minister Greg Hunt. Joint statement With Sports Minister Richard Colbeck.
“As the vaccine continues to roll out, vulnerable Australians remain an absolute priority, but as the Tokyo Olympics approach, the national cabinet understands the pressures our high-performance athletes are facing.” Said Colbeck. “This will be a very different Olympic and Paralympic Games, but our athletes deserve the opportunity to compete.”
AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine is given to athletes over the age of 50, and Pfizer is given to athletes under the age of 50.
In a statement, Australian Olympic Committee CEO Matt Carroll said, “Hundreds of athletes and coaches are very grateful to know that five years of effort is worth it. And the family will feel at ease. ” It is outside the public health system and does not put extra pressure on it.
Colbeck dismissed concerns that athletes were jumping over the vaccination line and argued that the vaccination stages were always overlapping.
“No, I couldn’t really do it because it was always expected that there would be some duplication,” Colbeck told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
“I never finished 1a before starting 1b, and never finished 1b before starting 2a.
“Duplicates were always expected at the stage. This is driven primarily by the availability of vaccine supplies, which remains a consideration.”
To date, approximately 1,969,337 vaccinations have been given in Australia, 205,203 in care facilities for the elderly and disabled.
Originally destined for 2020 and postponed due to the CCP virus, the Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8, and the Paralympic Games will be held from August 24 to September 5. ..