New research suggests some Pacific countries will struggle for years to achieve basic covid 19 vaccination coverage.
Australia's Lowy Institute has released data analysis projecting when Pacific countries are likely to have vaccinated most of their populations enough to protect them against the worst impacts of Covid.
Smaller countries like Palau and the Cook Islands have already got there, but Lowy's research fellow Alexandre Dayant says some bigger countries, particularly Papua New Guinea lag far behind.
PNG has so far vaccinated only two percent of its population, and the research predicts it will take another five years for it to get to thirty-five percent of eligible adults.
Mr Dayant spoke to Johnny Blades.
Patients are treated at a makeshift Covid-19 hospital in Port Moresby on October 9, 2021. Photo: AFP or licensors
