The progress being made around the world to develop a vaccine to conquer COVID-19 is encouraging, but Australia's Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Alison McMillan says its development can't be rushed.
The University of Queensland and Australian drug maker CSL have recently said they will have the capacity to make vaccines in the next to 12 to 18 months, encouraged by their recent trials.
"There are very encouraging signs all over the world of different vaccines that may have early promise," Ms McMillan told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program.
"You can't rush this, we need to make sure it's safe. While we are waiting for that vaccine, we need to keep doing what we've been doing so that we don't see further outbreaks."
She said 12 new coronavirus cases were reported since Saturday, nine in Victoria.
"These outbreaks will continue, there's no doubt about that, but the thing we will do is get on them quickly ... so we can contain the spread," she said.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said last week's national cabinet reconfirmed a strategy of suppression to help ease COVID-19 restrictions..
"Not every day has to be zero cases in order for us to continue slowly, cautiously, gradually opening up," Mr Andrews told reporters.
"We are going to see outbreaks. That is what suppression strategy is all about. There would have been no opening up otherwise over recent weeks."
Protesters defied public health warnings to rally across the country amid the pandemic, taking to the streets for a second weekend in a row.
Protesters turned out to rallies in support of refugees and the Black Lives Matter movement in Sydney, Perth, Darwin, Adelaide and Melbourne on Friday and Saturday.
Ms McMillan acknowledged the importance of what these protests are trying to achieve, but said it was a crucial time in trying to keep the virus suppressed as restrictions are eased.
"So we are asking them to find other ways in which to express their views and not to protest," she said.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said at this stage he was aware of only one COVID-19 case linked to last weekend's protests.
He said a spread of the virus through these marches was the "biggest concern" for the country.
"Australians have done an amazing job. What we have achieved is held up internationally as one of the great global successes and it is Australians that have done that," he told ABC television's Insiders program.
There have been over 7300 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Australia and 102 fatalities, small by international comparison.
© AAP 2020
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2020-06-14 01:52:00Z
CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LjluZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9oZWFsdGgvY292aWQtMTktdmFjY2luZS1ob3Blcy1zdGlsbC1zb21lLXRpbWUtb2ZmLzg2MTJiNzY5LTc0NGMtNGNkYi1iZTRlLTY1MTgxZDQ1NmIxMdIBRWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLjluZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzg2MTJiNzY5LTc0NGMtNGNkYi1iZTRlLTY1MTgxZDQ1NmIxMQ
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