Australia’s Covid-19 rollout is in disarray after the announcement that the locally-manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine, the backbone of Australia’s rollout program, should be avoided for those aged under 50. The announcement is causing a significant “recalibration” of the nation’s plans to protect itself from Covid-19.
But what are our other vaccine options, given this latest advice? And how far off is Australia from accessing alternative vaccine candidates?
The Pfizer vaccine
Type: mRNA Supply: 40m doses on order, 870,000 delivered Approval status: approved for use by the TGA Source: manufactured in the US and Europe
An mRNA vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine has proven safe and highly effective. It has finished its clinical trials, has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and is in widespread use across the globe.
Australia, though, has no capability to manufacture the Pfizer vaccine onshore, so we’ve been reliant on imports in a world of increasing vaccine protectionism.
The government has ordered 40m Pfizer doses, enough for 20m people.
So far, the government says the imports have been consistent. About 110,000 to 150,000 Pfizer doses are arriving in each shipment, the government says, and we have received in total more than 870,000. Those doses have mainly been used in aged care and for frontline health workers.
Health minister Greg Hunt says he has received assurances from Pfizer’s Australian chief that the first 20m doses will arrive this year.
“I spoke directly with the Australian CEO of Pfizer, Anne Harris, in the last 24 hours, and she has reconfirmed Pfizer’s advice that those full 20 million doses would be available during the course of 2021 on their current plan and current schedule,” he said on Thursday.