The report says this is is an achievable target if vaccine supply problems are resolved by October. If a vaccine is approved for children aged between two-to-11, the 80% target could be achieved by the end of the year, the authors wrote.
While overall Australia had escaped the worst of the pandemic, the authors acknowledged the heavy price paid to maintain low case numbers.
âWe are shut off from the rest of the world, and we have frequently been locked down to contain outbreaks,â the Grattan report says.
âThe more infectious Delta variant is making zero Covid even harder to maintain. Australians have supported a hard-line approach, but they are also tired and frustrated. National cabinet must now tread a fine line. On the one hand, we cannot abandon our zero Covid strategy too early and risk the calamity we have so far avoided.