In:
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, The Royal Society, Vol. 290, No. 2005 ( 2023-08-30)
Abstract:
Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 through to mid-2021, much of the Australian population lived in a COVID-19-free environment. This followed the broadly successful implementation of a strong suppression strategy, including international border closures. With the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in early 2021, the national government sought to transition from a state of minimal incidence and strong suppression activities to one of high vaccine coverage and reduced restrictions but with still-manageable transmission. This transition is articulated in the national ‘re-opening’ plan released in July 2021. Here, we report on the dynamic modelling study that directly informed policies within the national re-opening plan including the identification of priority age groups for vaccination, target vaccine coverage thresholds and the anticipated requirements for continued public health measures—assuming circulation of the Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant. Our findings demonstrated that adult vaccine coverage needed to be at least 60% to minimize public health and clinical impacts following the establishment of community transmission. They also supported the need for continued application of test–trace–isolate–quarantine and social measures during the vaccine roll-out phase and beyond.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0962-8452
,
1471-2954
DOI:
10.1098/rspb.2023.1437
Language:
English
Publisher:
The Royal Society
Publication Date:
2023
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1460975-7
SSG:
12
SSG:
25
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