CANBERRA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has launched the next phase of its coronavirus vaccination campaign as the country continues to battle the third wave of COVID-19 infections.
Health Minister Greg Hunt on Sunday debuted the government's new vaccine advertising campaign.
Dubbed "spread freedom," the campaign emphasizes the benefits of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 such as the freedom to travel interstate and overseas, reminding people that with increasing vaccinations they are able to return to a more normal and free life.
As of Saturday, 86.6 percent of Australians had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 73.1 percent were fully inoculated.
Lieutenant General John Frewen, the COVID-19 Taskforce commander, said Australia was on track to become one of the most vaccinated countries in the world.
"We've now got enough vaccines distributed around the country to double dose all Australians who want to get vaccinated," he told reporters in Canberra.
"If you want to be fully protected before Christmas, then you really need to start coming forward now to that first dose to get the whole process done."
Australia on Sunday reported 2,240 new locally-acquired COVID-19 infections and 15 deaths.
The majority of new cases were in Victoria, the country's second-most populous state with Melbourne as the capital city, where 1,935 cases and 11 deaths were reported.
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recorded nine new cases on Sunday - its lowest daily tally since late September. Enditem
