All they have done is kicked the can.

They can vaccinate but at some point, probably years after the world is back to normal, they will need to reopen and then Covid deaths will occur.

Australia have also been brutal with regards to lockdowns and civil liberties. Citizens literallly cannot leave or enter their own country easily. They still have years of short sharp lockdowns to contend with.

Glad I’m living in the UK rather than Australia and that’s a sentence I didn’t ever see myself writing!

If they vaccinate, then they will avoid COVID deaths when they reopen. The vaccine completely changes the game from "kicking the can down the road" into "total victory."

If they vaccinate adequately, why would they have Covid deaths anywhere near the same magnitude as the US/UK?

Is there a reason Aus/NZ won't be able to vaccinate to the level the UK has so far by next summer?

death/cases yes, but they became a "hermit kingdom" in the process. their attitude re covid put me off from ever considering them as a place where i'd like to spend the rest of my days.

I'm not sure that's fair.

Internally almost everything is open (a few temp local lockdowns happen). Their bars, restaurants, schools and stadiums have been BAU for months.

Externally, it's hard to get in/out. But that's true everywhere right now isn't it?

I'm in the uk, there are about 6 countries where i can travel to right now with the blessings of both places.

I'm much prefer to have spent the last 12m in Aus personally...