The BBC has reported protesters in Australia gathered on Saturday to oppose the launch of the country’s coronavirus vaccine program even though the vaccines are not mandatory.
Rallies were held in cities including Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and were largely peaceful. But in Melbourne, some protesters clashed with police, who used pepper spray and made several arrests.
Australia’s rollout of the Pfizer vaccine is set to begin on Monday and the country’s medical regulator has also granted provisional approval for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Both vaccines are already being used in several countries
