Australia began its COVID-19 vaccine rollout on Sunday with a limited few, including top officials, being administered the first doses, a day ahead of the country’s mass vaccination campaign on Monday. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was administered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a medical centre in northwest Sydney in what the government said was a move to boost public confidence in the jabs, AFP reported. 

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The first Australian to receive the vaccine was Jane Malysiak, an aged care resident and World War II survivor in her 80s, followed by health care workers and other officials. 

“She’s taking part in what is a very historic day for our country,” Morrison said. “Tomorrow our vaccination programme starts, so as a curtain-raiser today we’re here making some very important points – that it’s safe, that it’s important, and we need to start with those who are most vulnerable and are on the front line”. 

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This comes a after thousands participated in anti-vaccination demonstrations across major cities, as police arrested a number of protestors in Melbourne, AFP broadcaster ABC as reporting. 

Nearly 22% of the country’s population said they were not likely to get inoculated, with a survey, conducted by the Australian National University, reporting a rising vaccine hesitancy in the country. 

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Having granted provisional approval to the Pfizer vaccine in January, Australia is launching its vaccination programme months after other nations. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was also approved recently but is yet to be administered. 

Australia has been relatively successful in curbing the virus, with just 29,000 cases and 909 deaths out of a population of over 25 million.