Australia To Receive First Batch of a Potential COVID-19 Vaccine: Report

Amid vaccine trails and production, Australia expects to receive its first batches of a potential COVID-19 vaccine in January. 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the news stating that his government has struck a deal with CSL Ltd to manufacture two vaccines. First one developed by rival AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and another developed in CSL’s own labs with the University of Queensland.  

After the number of daily infections in Australia fell to a 10-week low, Morrison said the country will in January and February 2021 receive 3.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The vaccine is currently undergoing late-stage clinical trials in Britain, Brazil and South Africa. 

According to Indian Express report, AstraZeneca’s candidate, AZD1222, is viewed as a frontrunner in a global race to deliver an effective vaccine to combat the virus. Australia will spend A$1.7 billion ($1.24 billion) for a total of nearly 85 million doses.  

“By securing the production and supply agreements, Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a safe and effective vaccine, should it pass late stage testing,” Morrison said in an emailed statement. 

With the recent updates, Australia’s second most populous state has now accounts for about 75 percent of the country’s 26,320 cases and 90 percent of its 762 deaths.