State Government in talks with vaccine makers to manufacture in Qld

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has pleaded with the federal government “to do everything possible” to source more Pfizer jabs from overseas, as the State Government is working on a plan to allow for the manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines in Queensland.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has pleaded with the federal government “to do everything possible” to source more Pfizer jabs from overseas, saying the risk factors of Covid-19 had changed in light of the highly-transmissible Delta variant.

Queensland has recorded its 13th incursion of Covid-19 into the community in six weeks, after a man who had completed hotel quarantine tested positive after being in the community for at least four days.

It comes amid news Australia’s vaccination rollout could be boosted within months under a plan to manufacture extra vaccines in Queensland labs.

The Courier-Mail understands the Palaszczuk Government is in key talks with multiple vaccine manufacturers and Queensland-based biopharmaceutical manufacturers and is seeking urgent Commonwealth assistance to see the plan go ahead.

It’s understood officials have been spearheading a plan to fast track vaccine production with a major mRNA-based manufacturer here under the government’s $3.34b Jobs Fund, which delivered a $20m grant last month to the Translational Research Institute, based at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, to develop vaccines here.

Acting Queensland Premier Steven Miles and Health Minister Yvette D'Ath. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

“The risk factors have changed, the variant has changed,” Ms D’Ath said on Wednesday.

“We don’t need to wait for more deaths to act on this, we need to make sure we are getting as many Pfizer vaccines as possible into the country right now.

“I am calling on the Prime Minister to do everything he can to do this, right now.”

Ms D’Ath said the federal government needed to call Pfizer or request extra vaccine doses from ally countries to help boost Australia’s vaccination program.

In New South Wales, where the lockdown has been extended for another month, authorities have been pleading with the federal government for more vaccines to help curb the spread of Covid-19 going so far as to request GP bookings be cancelled to divert Pfizer supply to state clinics.

Ms D’Ath also said Queensland could only open when everyone had been offered a vaccine and to her it still seems impossible to be sure when that would be.

The State Government is pushing the possible manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines in Queensland. Picture: Fred TANNEAU/AFP

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said a successful deal to make vaccines in Queensland could make the state a global hub for the production of Covid vaccines.

Mr Miles has written to Industry, Science and Technology Christian Porter this week to seek the federal government’s support to make the plan a reality.

It’s understood the state is seeking both approvals and financial support to give the plan the best chance of success.

“Our proposal has great potential to help the Commonwealth accelerate Australia’s vaccination rollout and importantly, the rollout here in Queensland,” the Deputy Premier said.

“The greatest challenge to rebuilding our economy and recovering from the pandemic is the lack of vaccines the Federal Government have been able to secure internationally.

“Mobilising Queensland’s burgeoning biopharmaceutical manufacturing sector to produce vaccines here could shorten the pandemic.”

Mr Miles said success would also mean more jobs.

“We have the technology and the skilled workforce to be a major player in the manufacture of Covid vaccines internationally,” he said.

“Over a number of years, we’ve invested heavily in our advanced manufacturing and biopharmaceuticals industries.

Queensland’s Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

“We want to harness that knowledge and technology to mass produce vaccines and help the Federal Government speed up the vaccination rollout in Australia.

“We’ve had preliminary discussions with several companies.

“These discussions have been positive, but we need the support of the Commonwealth to progress.”

Australia only has the rights to manufacture AstraZeneca onshore so far, and is making about 50 million doses to supplement 3.8 million from off shore.

But global supply issues have been stalling the rollout for under 60s, who have been told to get the overseas-manufactured Pfizer vaccine, of which Australia has purchased 40 million doses.

Queensland Health last week wrote to people who have registered for the Pfizer vaccine advising them that national supply was expected to remained limited until October and there were not yet appointments for them, unless they were in limited priority groups.

The Australian Government has also sought supply of Moderna and Novavax from overseas, but neither have received TGA approval yet.

Ms D’Ath’s calls for more Pfizer jabs comes as Queensland’s weekly Covid-19 vaccination rate slipped backwards despite the rest of the country surging ahead, as health authorities confirmed they had gone too hard too fast – despite warnings from the federal government.

Australia’s weekly vaccination rate has increased steadily each week with the record-breaking streak driven by all states bar Queensland.

Last week the Sunshine State put 176,896 jabs into arms, the third consecutive weekly decrease since Queensland’s all time high of 186,408 jabs in the week ending July 4.

With hundreds of GPs now handing out Pfizer as well as AstraZeneca jabs, the drop in jabs is solely within the state-run rollout of the program.

A Queensland Health spokeswoman said vaccine demand had outstripped supply, and in June and July the state was “doing more than 25 per cent more jabs than we were supplied at the time”.

“We have now matched appointments to supply, which ensures we have sufficient vaccinations to deliver second doses as required,” she said.