Immunologist Ian Frazer will take first COVID-19 vaccine he’s offered

Former Australian of the Year Ian Frazer says the first available COVID-19 vaccines will protect against serious illness, but more data is needed on whether they prevent infection.

Renowned immunologist Ian Frazer says he will accept whatever COVID-19 jab he’s offered, confident the vaccines approved by Australia’s medical regulator will be safe and “help protect against becoming seriously ill”.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration on Monday approved the Pfizer vaccine for Australians aged 16 and older, allowing it to be imported into Australia for batch testing before the first shots can be given, possibly as early as next month.

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Australia has purchased 10 million doses of the Pfizer jab – enough for five million people, with recipients requiring two shots about three weeks apart.

Hotel quarantine and border workers, frontline health staff, aged care employees and nursing home residents will be given first priority for vaccinations.

Former Australian of the Year Professor Ian Frazer. Photo: Annette Dew

Approval for Oxford University’s AstraZeneca vaccine is expected soon. Australia has agreements for the supply of more than 53 million doses.

“I don’t know which one I’ll be offered, but I don’t really mind. I’ll take whichever one is available,” Professor Frazer said.

“I do not wish to get seriously ill or succumb to COVID-19 and I am quite sure that the vaccine will prevent me doing that.”

Professor Frazer, a former Australian of the Year, is the co-developer of the Gardasil vaccine, which protects against most cases of cervical cancer.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has been found in trials to be 95 per cent effective and the AstraZeneca jab has an overall efficacy of 70 per cent against recipients developing symptoms of the virus.

“The trials have shown quite clearly that these vaccines are safe and … they’re able to stop people dying or becoming seriously ill,” Professor Frazer said.

The 68-year-old said more data was needed into how effective the vaccines were on preventing infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

“That will require studies on a big scale over a year or two,” he said.

Professor Frazer said more work was needed to produce the “best possible vaccine” against COVID – 19 – one that not only prevented people from getting symptoms but also rendered the virus incapable of infecting them in the first place.

He predicted COVID-19 would continue to be a challenge within Australia “over the next couple of years”.

“Globally it will certainly be a challenge for the next decade,” Professor Frazer said.

Queensland recorded two new cases of SARS-CoV-2 yesterday, both overseas acquired and detected in hotel quarantine.

The state still has 15 active cases of SARS-CoV-2.

Queensland has confirmed 1305 cases of the virus since the first infection was diagnosed in the state on January 28 last year in a Chinese traveller from Wuhan.