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Lockdowns and state borders will be largely removed when 70 per cent of Australians over 12 are jabbed and outbound travel will be allowed when 80 per cent are double vaccinated, Scott Morrison has announced.
The Prime Minster announced the rates required for each step of his four-stage opening plan after a meeting with state premiers on Friday afternoon.
The percentages have been calculated by modelling experts at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.
Mr Morrison also took into account economic modelling by Treasury on the impact of lockdowns as well as the country's hospital capacity.
Lockdowns and state borders will be largely removed when 70 per cent of Australians over 12 are jabbed, Scott Morrison announced
On Thursday a record 210,742 Covid jabs were administered across the country. So far 18.24 per cent of over 16s have been fully vaccinated and 39.46 per cent have had their first dose.
The Grattan Institute think tank released a report on Thursday saying 80 per cent needed to be fully vaccinated before opening up.
'Abandoning our Zero Covid strategy before 80 per cent of Australians are vaccinated would risk a rapid surge in cases that overwhelms our hospitals and imposes a high death toll,' the Race to 80 report says.
Allowing the virus to spread with half the population vaccinated would lead to 31,440 deaths within 300 days, it claims.
A shopper wears a face mask at Bankstown in Sydney on Friday after the state recorded 170 new Covid-19 cases
Sydney's lockdown will last until August 28. Pictured: Wolloolooloo on Friday
The Institute believes the country can hit the 80 per cent target by December 31 to avoid lockdowns next year.
States and territory governments may disagree on the percentage required and set their own targets.
Gladys Berejiklian earlier said she wanted to 'bring forward' NSW's 'fair share' of the vaccines to help get Sydney out of lockdown.
The state government has suspended elective surgery in Sydney and called in 1,000 police and soldiers to enforce the lockdown as another 170 Covid-19 cases were recorded overnight.
The premier said while the number of new cases was 'considerably less' than Thursday she expected that figure could spike again on Saturday.
Of the newly-acquired
