Australia’s chief medical officer Jim Bishop says in hindsight the decision to purchase 21 million doses of the pandemic flu vaccine “wasn’t correct”.
His comments came in response to a question at the Senate estimates meeting yesterday from Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells who described it as a waste of tax payers’ money.
Figures from the Department of Health revealed just 9.3 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed across the country and more than 20,000 doses have expired since the $100 million purchase.
“You can say in hindsight that [buying 21 million doses] wasn’t correct, and I agree, but nevertheless all the experts’ advice says that with a novel virus you need two doses.
“We bought enough for half the population,” Professor Bishop...
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