But Australia’s change is arguably the most striking, because Australian states put extraordinary pressure on their people to submit to Covid vaccinations last fall and winter.
Mandates for work were only the beginning.
In November 2021, for example, Victoria - Australia’s second-largest state - decreed that only vaccinated people would be allowed in gyms, bars, restaurants, libraries, and “non-essential” retailers like bookstores and hairdressers. Two months later, the Northern Territory briefly placed unvaccinated people under a “snap lockdown,” confining them to their homes.
The pressure succeeded.
24 out of every 25 Australian adults received a primary two-dose Covid vaccination last year, mostly with mRNA shots from Pfizer and Moderna. Australians were also very accepting of boosters, with more than 7 out of 10 adults getting a third shot.
Yet 2022 has proven disastrous for Australia, both for Covid and public health generally. (2/3)
