Pressmediaofindia
Related Articles
08-09-2020
Bureau Report
MELBOURNE/ SYDNEY/ NEW DELHI: Australia says it will secure almost 85 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine if two promising trials prove successful.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country had struck two deals that would allow free doses to be rolled out in 2021 if they were approved for use.
Morrison estimated the cost to be A$1.7bn (£0.9bn; $1.24bn).
Australia’s 25 million people could begin receiving doses from January but there were “no guarantees”, he said.
“However the agreement puts Australia at the top of the queue, if our medical experts give the vaccines the green light,” the prime minister said.
One vaccine is from Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, while the other is a local one from the University of Queensland and CSL. Both would most likely require people to take two doses.
Australia has recorded more than 26,000 coronavirus cases and 769 deaths, most in the past two months after an outbreak in Victoria.
The state announcement Sunday it was extending strict lockdown for another two weeks, before gradually easing restrictions.
Under the plan, people in Melbourne will not be able to visit other households for group gatherings until at least late November.
Most of the vaccines would be manufactured in Australia at biotechnology company CSL, the government said.
The nation has agreements for 33.8 million doses of the Oxford vaccine and 51 million doses of a UQ vaccine.
Early access to the Oxford vaccine – if it is found to work – could begin in January and February with 3.8 million imported doses secured for that period.
That vaccine is in phase three of clinical trials and is being tested on 30,000 people, making it one of the world’s most advanced. Australia announced last month it had secured access to the vaccine.
The UQ/CSL vaccine is in phase one of clinical trials, involving tests on a small control group.
The Australian government has said that immunization won’t be compulsory but strongly encouraged. The nation is aiming for a 95% vaccination rate.
Morrison said Australia also remained committed to ensure vaccine access for its neighbors in the Pacific and South East Asia.
Additional orders may be donated or sold at their original price to other nations or organizations, officials said.
Countries around the world have been scrambling to arrange deals for potential vaccines, prompting concerns that poorer nations may miss out.
In July, the World Health Organization said 165 countries had signed up to a fund which would see wealthier nations help poorer nations with access.
About 140 potential vaccines globally are in early development, and dozens are being tested on people in clinical trials.
Meanwhile, India’s increasing coronavirus caseload made the Asian giant the world’s second-worst-hit country behind the United States on Monday, as its efforts to head off economic disaster from the pandemic gain urgency.
The 90,802 cases added in the past 24 hours pushed India’s total past Brazil with more than 4.2 million cases. India is now behind only the United States, where more than 6.2 million people have been infected, according to Johns Hopkins University.
India’s Health Ministry on Monday also reported 1,016 new deaths for a total of 71,642, the third-highest national toll.
The world’s second-most populous country with 1.4 billion people, India has been recording the world’s largest daily increases in coronavirus cases for almost a month. Despite over 2 million new cases in the past month and the virus spreading through the country’s smaller towns and villages, the Indian government has continued relaxing restrictions to try and resuscitate the economy.
On Monday, the Delhi Metro, which serves India’s sprawling capital, New Delhi, and adjoining areas, resumed operations after remaining shuttered for more than five months. The commuters were scarce and stations deserted. Only asymptomatic people were allowed to board the trains, with masks, social distancing and temperature checks mandatory.
