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SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will receive the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca in January 2021 if the trials are successful, after Canberra agreed to a deal to buy a second potential vaccine, it said on Monday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Australia said in August that it had signed a preliminary agreement with AstraZeneca for doses sufficient for its population of nearly 26 million, to be manufactured locally by the pharmaceutical company CSL.
That deal appeared in some doubt when CSL said its priority was to manufacture a potential alternative vaccine developed with the University of Queensland (UQ).
By agreeing to overcome the potential hurdle, Australia will now also purchase 51 million doses of the UQ vaccine.
It will take possession of the first 3.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in January and February 2021, and then receive another 30 million doses, Morrison said in excerpts from an announcement sent to Reuters.
The AstraZeneca candidate is considered one of the pioneers in a global race to provide an effective vaccine against coronavirus.
“Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a safe and effective vaccine, should it pass advanced stage tests,” Morrison will say.
Under the agreement with UQ and CSL, Australia will purchase 51 million doses of the vaccine from that union. The UQ and CSL candidate is scheduled to start phase two testing in late 2020 and if all testing is successful it could be rolled out for Australians in mid-2021.
Both deals will cost a total of A $ 1.7 billion ($ 1.24 billion), Morrison will say. Should both vaccines be successful, Australia has secured the right to donate or sell without a markup.
Health officials are discussing who will get the first doses if the trials are successful, Morrison will say. Vulnerable people and front-line healthcare workers are likely to be first in line, a source familiar with the details told Reuters.
The supply deals come as Australia faces a second wave of infections in its second most populous state, Victoria. Australia has recorded more than 26,000 infections and 753 deaths.
(This story is corrected to show that the announcement will be made on Monday, not Tuesday)
(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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