Building on the announcements made several weeks ago on vaccine arrangements, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the $1.7 billion agreement between the Australian Government and pharmaceutical companies for the supply and production of more than 80 million vaccine doses.
“This is a significant step to protect the health of Australians against the Coronavirus,” he says.
“Australians will gain free access to a COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 if trials prove successful.”
This places Australia at the forefront of gaining access to vaccines, and providing the country the capacity to not only produce the CSL Astrazeneca Vaccine, but the University of Queensland Vaccine.
The CSL vaccine is further in its progression period, but both vaccines will ideally be trialled.
Mr Morrison says that the sovereign vaccine strategy is a vital part of the road out of COVID-19.
“Lockdowns and borders are not signs of success,” he says.
Signalling NSW as the ‘gold standard’ for a capable integrated tracing capabilities, that has measured and controlled outbreaks successfully, Mr Morrison says that the goal is to boost Victoria’s contact tracing to match.
Should the trials and arrangements be successful, the vaccines may be released as soon as the start next year, and have multi-year protection.
More to come.
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