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Australians will get a digital and paper certificate when they get the coronavirus jab

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Australians will get a certificate to prove they have had the coronavirus vaccination when it starts to be rolled out in coming weeks.

Government Services Minister Stuart Robert says the evidence will be in both digital and paper form for Australians needing confirmation they have had the jab for travelling or work.

“Australians need to have that record, especially for state public health orders, but also when travelling and borders open up again,” Mr Robert said.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said the government needs to make sure it gets this right.

“We know that they didn’t get the tracing app right,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Cairns.

“So they need to, as the rollout of the vaccine occurs, make sure that they absolutely get it right because our economy as well as our health depends on it.”

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has already approved the Pfizer vaccine for use in coming weeks and TGA head John Skerritt expects to give a final decision on the AstraZeneca vaccine this month.

Australia has secured more than 150 million doses of various vaccines and Prof Skerritt said there are talks with around a dozen companies about potential vaccines in the future.

Hotel quarantine workers, frontline staff and border officials are first in line for the Pfizer jab, along with the elderly and most vulnerable.

The government hopes most Australians will be vaccinated by late October.

Meanwhile, other states are considering following the NSW initiative of introducing a day-16 COVID-19 test for overseas travellers after they have completed their 14-day quarantine as an additional precautionary measure.

This is in addition to the current testing on days two and 12.

Both South Australian Premier Steve Marshall and West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said they are seeking advice on the additional test.

There were no new locally acquired COVID-19 cases reported across the country on Sunday, but NSW and Queensland both reported one infection in returned travellers in quarantine.

Victorian authorities admit they may never get to the bottom of exactly how a hotel quarantine worker recently picked up the virus.

They are undertaking a ventilation review of all Victorian quarantine hotels, and face shields have been made mandatory among workers.

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