Sir Richard Branson says Australia is being left behind. Photo / Twitter
Sir Richard Branson has shamed Australia for its slow vaccine rollout, saying given it's a small country everyone should have been jabbed by now.
Speaking to the Today show, the Virgin founder was asked about opening up to the rest of the world in mid-2022.
"That's up to our prime minister," he said.
"Countries that have got everyone vaccinated, liked Britain and America … (and) especially when you have all the vulnerable people vaccinated, they can open up right away."
Sir Richard said he was in New Mexico with "lots of people" who are all hugging and shaking hands because "we're all vaccinated".
"It's a lovely, (a) lovely feeling to be free again," he said.
"If your government can speed up the vaccination programme so everyone is vaccinated, there's no reason at all why you shouldn't be able to open up."
When asked whether Australia risks being left behind, Sir Richard said he anticipated most Australians should have been vaccinated by now.
"It's a small country, I suspect most people should have been vaccinated. If not, (they) should have been," he said.
"It should be the number one priority of the government. Nothing else matters because every single business in Australia will be held back.
"Every single person in Australia will be held back. The economy will suffer."
Australia has administered more than 3.5 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccines, well behind other nations like the US and UK which continue to forge ahead.
But a significant increase in supplies of the Pfizer vaccine could allow every Australian to be fully immunised against Covid-19 by the end of the year, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) boss said on Sunday.
The federal government has promised two million Pfizer doses would be available each week from the start of October, meaning every Australian who wants to get the jab could have both doses by Christmas.
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