Epidemiologist’s blunt message to Australians unsure if they’ll get the COVID-19 vaccine

An epidemiologist has shared a blunt message for Australians who don’t intend to get vaccinated against COVID-19, or who are unsure if they’ll get the jab.

Head of the Melbourne School of Population Growth and Global Health at the University of Melbourne, Professor Nancy Baxter, says both vaccines being used in Australia are effective.

“For anyone who thinks they’re going to wait on the vaccine, or wonders if the vaccine is worth it … if you’re not vaccinated and we open our borders, you’re going to get COVID-19, and you’re going to have no protection,” she told Ross and Russel.

“That’s the bottom line.”

Professor Baxter also weighed in on the current COVID-19 situation in Victoria.

She says the state government acted more quickly to lockdown than it did in the extended second lockdown last year, and that may make all the difference.

“When we had the second wave they didn’t lockdown for weeks, and that extended our lockdown by months,” she said.

Press PLAY below to hear more about the vaccines and Victoria’s COVID-19 path from Professor Baxter