After it, there was the Delta version. Despite their best efforts, the virus managed to make its way into their nations. Hospitals in Indonesia and Thailand ran out of oxygen and beds during the summer months, while health care workers in South Korea were forced to turn away patients as a result of the greatest outbreak of illnesses the country has ever seen.
As the number of cases increased, nations rapidly changed their strategy to immunization.
In June, the Australian city of Sydney declared a lockdown after a limo driver who had not been vaccinated contracted the Delta strain from an American airline crew. Then, in July, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who had earlier said that vaccination “was not a race,” urged Australians to “go for gold” in the country’s immunization campaign, despite his prior statements to the contrary.
He took action in order to overcome a supply shortfall that had been exacerbated by the lengthy regulatory clearance process. Australia purchased one million Pfizer dosages from Poland in August, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this month that Australia will buy one million Moderna shots from Europe.
When the Delta epidemic first surfaced, less than a quarter of Australians over the age of 16 had gotten even a single vaccination. As of today, 86 percent of the adult population in the state of New South Wales, which includes Sydney, has gotten a first dose of the vaccine, and 62 percent of people have received the whole vaccine series. Early November is the target date for the nation to have completely immunized 80 percent of its people over 16 years old.
According to Greg Dore, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of New South Wales, “There was fantastic community leadership — there were individuals from across the political divide who came out to promote vaccination.” “It was very beneficial in turning around a degree of hesitation that existed.”
Many countries have utilized financial incentives to urge people to become immunized.
In August, the authorities in South Korea relaxed limits on private meetings for individuals who had received all of their vaccinations, enabling them to assemble in larger numbers but retaining tighter restrictions for the rest of the population. In the past, countries like as Singapore, which has completely vaccinated 82 percent of its population, have taken similar steps.
Researchers have also looked into the pockets of individuals who are refusing to get immunized and are attempting to convince them to change their minds.
