COVID-19: When Australia is expected to reach herd immunity

At the current vaccination rate, Deutsche Bank research reveals Australia won’t reach herd immunity until late December.

Head of Griffith University’s Infectious Diseases and Immunology program, Professor Nigel McMillan, says Australia may not even reach that milestone, unless vaccine uptake increases.

It’s estimated about 60 to 70 per cent of the population must be vaccinated for herd immunity to occur.

“At the rate we’re going we won’t even get it to that,” Professor McMillan told Ross and Russel.

“There are some pundits who say we’ll never reach herd immunity because of, basically, the way this virus works and the various variants that come around.

“There are others who say we should be able to reach herd immunity and eventually this virus becomes a bit like the flu.”

Professor McMillan says once Australia reaches herd immunity there will be no need to fear international travel.

“International travel really opens up when we, as a country, have heard immunity, because it doesn’t matter whether people come back with the virus,” he said.

“It won’t spread around our community, it won’t cause death and serious illness, it might cause some mild infections but once again it’s like the flu.”

Press PLAY below to hear more from Professor McMillan