Australia has penned a deal for an extra 50 million doses of two potential COVID-19 vaccine formulas, and the extremely promising jabs could be available early next year – if they’re proven to be safe and effective, that is.
ABC reports the Federal Government has struck an agreement with biotech company Novavax, securing access to 40 million doses of its potential vaccine.
On top of that, there’s also a new deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for 10 million batches of their potentially virus-bashing formula.
The news brings Australia’s potential vaccine stockpile to 134 million (hopeful!) doses, thanks to earlier deals signed with AstraZeneca and Oxford University, along with CSL and the University of Queensland.
All up, those deals cover two protein vaccines, and one mRNA vaccine, and one viral vector type vaccine. I am not an immunologist, nor a microbiologist, but it does seem like a pretty good call to diversify Australia’s options against this bastard of a virus.
While that’s all well and good, Prime Minister Scott Morrison today reminded folks that all of these vaccines are still in advanced trial phases.
“By securing multiple COVID-19 vaccines we are giving Australians the best shot at early access to a vaccine, should trials prove successful,” Morrison said in a statement.
He said the new deals mean Australia is at the “front of the queue” if the trials conclude without incident, and if the jabs receive a green light from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Should they pass all of those checks and balances, the government is poised to prioritise shots for those most at risk of contracting the virus: Australia’s frontline medical and aged care workers, the elderly, and folks broadly understood to work in “services critical to societal functioning.”
The vaccines won’t be mandatory, but will be free for anyone who wants ’em.
The latest deals brings Australia’s expenditure on potential COVID-19 vaccines to a cool $3.2 billion. Again, not that much if you think about the outsized economic impact of the coronavirus on every other sector of life in Australia.
As it stands, Australia appears to be winning its lengthy battle against the pandemic.
Victoria, which experienced the brunt of Australia’s COVID-19 cases, today recorded its sixth consecutive day with zero new cases.
Yesterday there were zero new cases and zero lives lost. The 14 day average is 1.4 and there are 2 cases with an unknown source. More info here and also later today: https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/YvGacx1fiV
— Victorian Department of Health (@VicGovDH) November 4, 2020
Meanwhile New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian this week announced the state is preparing to eliminate its hard border with Victoria by the end of the month.
