Ending lockdowns with 80% vaccinated could cause 25,000 Australian deaths, new modelling suggests

Research warns there could be 10 times the number of deaths referenced in the Doherty Institute report which underpins four-phase reopening plan

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Australia's national plan to end lockdowns once 80% of the adult population is vaccinated could result in 25,000 deaths in total and 270,000 cases of long Covid, new modelling warns.

The work by researchers at three leading Australian universities predicts more than 10 times as many deaths as the Doherty Institute modelling that underpins the national four-phase roadmap. That plan was adopted by national cabinet in July but is subject to different interpretations by state and territory leaders.