Australia falls 85% short of vaccine delivery goal

Australia has fallen 3.4 million doses short of its target of delivering four million Covid vaccinations by 31 March, prompting criticism of the government.

The 85% shortfall comes two days after Brisbane entered another snap lockdown to combat a small outbreak.

Natural disasters – such as the massive floods in eastern Australia last week – have also disrupted the rollout.

Last week the government said the vaccine rollout did not demand urgency given Australia’s low infection rates. The country has recorded 909 deaths and 29,300 cases since the pandemic began – far fewer than many other nations.

But sporadic outbreaks have led to six lockdowns in cities in recent months. Critics say situations like Brisbane’s outbreak show why a quick vaccine programme is still needed. Brisbane’s two clusters have been linked to a nurse and a doctor who contracted the virus from a Covid ward at the same hospital…

No Armageddon: NASA says Earth safe from asteroid Apophis for 100 years

Earth is safe from a potential calamity-causing asteroid for the next 100 years, NASA announced on Friday.

The announcement clears up fears that had lingered since 2004, when the asteroid 9942 Apophis was identified as one of the most hazardous potential asteroids that could strike the planet. However, this has now been ruled out thanks to a growing understanding of the asteroid and its orbit by astronomers, as well as new radar observations using precise orbit analysis…