Australians will be be able to 'live very differently' by Christmas as the nation's sluggish vaccine rollout picks up, Scott Morrison said.
But the Prime Minister warned the cycle of locking down early over a few Covid cases and only opening up when infections are snuffed out will continue until then.
'I would expect by Christmas that we would be seeing a very different Australia to what we are seeing now,' Mr Morrison said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Australians will be be able to 'live very differently' by Christmas as the nation's sluggish vaccine rollout picks up, Scott Morrison said. Pictured: Bondi Beach on Christmas Day 2020
All Australians are expected to be offered a Covid-19 vaccine by December, two months behind the original schedule due to changing health advice and supply delays.
On July 9, the Prime Minister announced a four stage plan to get Australia back to normal, with each step to be triggered when the vaccination rate hits a certain percentage.
The vaccination percentages required are being calculated by modelling experts at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and will be released at the end of July.
NSW Police patrol Rushcutters Bay in Sydney on Wednesday morning as lockdown continues
'When countries reach a much higher vaccination rate, that gives their governments a lot more options in the suppression options they have to use to deal with the virus,' Mr Morrison said.
'Lockdowns become a thing of the past when you are at that level... we will be living life differently at Christmas than we are now.'
The Prime Minister originally backed NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian when she refused to lockdown Sydney until nine days after the city's outbreak began on June 16.
But he now says locking down hard and early over just a few cases - like other states such as WA have done - is the best move to combat the highly infectious Delta strain.
On July 9, Mr Morrison announced a four stage plan to get Australia back to normal, with each step to be triggered when the vaccination rate hits a certain percentage
'It is clear that the best response in these circumstances with the Delta variant is that approach. I think that is fairly obvious.'
'There is a clear learning here, and that is the approach that I would expect states would follow in the future.'
A total of 17.19 per cent of Australians over 16 have been fully vaccinated.
Sydney's lockdown has been extended until the end of August due to rising cases, with 177 recorded on Wednesday.
