If R nought was the number on your lips last year, then the statistic du jour this year will be the daily number of vaccinations administered.

This is the key number that will determine when we can stop living under the shadow of coronavirus, the ongoing sporadic seeding events from hotel quarantine, and the necessary but disruptive lockdowns that inevitably follow.

The Federal Government’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout is due to start in late February with a target of vaccinating all Australian adults by October.

Vaccinating some 20 million adult Australians with two doses each in around eight months is an immense logistical challenge.