Australia buys an extra 85 million Pfizer booster shots for 2022

Australia has made a deal for another 85 million doses of Pfizer to be used as booster shots from February, bringing the total number of Covid vaccine doses to 280 million.

Australia has made a deal for another 85 million doses of Pfizer to be used as booster shots from February next year.

Under the agreement, which will include any updated versions designed to deal with emerging variants, 60 million doses will arrive in Australia from the first quarter of 2022, with another 25 million doses in 2023.

The deal means the country now has more than 280 million vaccine shots on order.

The federal government will buy an extra 85 million Pfizer doses for delivery in 2022. Picture: Getty Images

The federal government believes the current evidence suggests the first booster shots will need to be given around a year after the first, meaning the booster rollout will need to start in late February.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the deal with Pfizer-BioNTech would make sure every Australian had access to a booster shot if it was needed.

“We have secured an ­additional 85 million doses of Pfizer, which brings Australia’s total Pfizer doses to 125 million,” he said.

Describing the agreement as “a significant shot in the arm for Australia’s vaccine supply”, the PM said it will “will ensure individuals, families and communities have certainty about their continued protection against the evolving threat of Covid over the next two years.”

He said Australia had “turned the corner” on its vaccine program, and “this is ­another milestone on our pathway back to a normal life.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the deal would make it easier to manage booster timing requirements, which are still awaiting recommendations by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.

“These additional doses further expands and strengthens Australia’s vaccine capacity,” he said. “More than 280 million doses of Covid vaccines have now been secured to support the vaccine rollout.”

He said the purchase had been made on the recommendation of the government’s Science and Industry Technical Advisory Group.

On Friday the US announced it had also inked a deal with the company, to provide 200 million extra doses of its vaccine, including 65 million which will be earmarked for children under 12 if the US regulator approves the shot for that age group.

The UK will begin its ­booster shot rollout as early as September this year.

Israel, which is also a vaccine world-leader, has app­roved a third shot for people with weak immune systems but has yet to make a decision on when or whether to roll a third shot out across the general population.

Last week the TGA licensed the use of the Pfizer vaccine on children as young as 12 but a rollout is still awaiting the tick off from ATAGI.