University of Queensland coronavirus vaccine trials prove successful on elderly

The Federal Government has confirmed the dates it hopes to begin giving The University of Queensland’s groundbreaking vaccine to patients, and the latest every Aussie seeking a jab should have one by. It has also revealed what it means for around distancing in public places, and international travel.

The Federal Government is hopeful a UQ vaccine for COVID-19 will begin to be distributed to Australians from July 2021.

Health Minister Greg Hunt this morning announced CSL has completed manufacturing it’s Covid-19 vaccine for phase-three clinical trials and will seek regulatory approval to commence the UQ trials before the end of this year.

Health Minister Greg Hunt tours University of Queensland vaccine laboratory

Health Minister Greg Hunt tours University of Queensland vaccine laboratory

“It means that this vaccine will potentially be available, subject to the results of those trials, for delivery to Australians early in the third quarter of 2021,” Mr Hunt said.

“Our national goal is to ensure that all Australians who seek to be vaccinated are vaccinated by the end of 2021.”

Mr Hunt said initial trials have shown strong outcomes for the vaccine in terms of safety and immune response, and showed particularly promising results among the elderly.

The Prime Minister visited the UQ lab recently. Picture: Nick Moir – Pool/Getty Images

“The vaccines are on track to do what they are intended to do,” he said.

Professor Paul Young said phase-one trials of the vaccine showed it to produce similar levels of immunity as people who have recently recovered from Covid-19.

“It also induces a strong immune response, an antibody response, that is equivalent to or in excess of what is seen in patients that have recovered from live virus,” Professor Young said.

“We’ve also shown that the lower doses that we’ve trialled have been just as effective at inducing that immune response, so it seems that into the future for the CSL manufacture of the vaccine that the amount they manufacture will go further.”

The UQ vaccine is one of four vaccines contracted by the Australian Government that are hoped to be a part of a multi-vaccine strategy.

“You never know which will be successful, it appears that all of our contracted vaccines are on the pathway to being successful, safe and effective beyond our wildest dreams,” Mr Hunt said.

“The country is pulling together, It’s been one of the greatest national peacetime achievements that Australia has ever witnessed.”

Mr Hunt said a successful vaccine strategy across Australia will open up freedoms around distancing in public places like restaurants and international travel.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the UQ jab was ahead of schedule. Picture: Sean Davey.

“What vaccination does is it opens up the possibility of travel for Australians, so they can travel safely, they can return safely, it reduces the need for hotel quarantine if somebody has been vaccinated.”

Mr Hunt said vaccination would likely see international borders open progressively to various countries.

“What we would want to see is that we have Australians that are vaccinated if they are looking to return without hotel quarantine... but we would also want people coming in to be clear that either they are vaccinated or they will have to go through hotel quarantine because the disease won’t disappear from the world overnight,” he said.

“It will be a progressive opening through the course of 2021.

“In an ideal world if the vaccination strategy is completed as we anticipate then by the end of 2021 then we will be very close to widespread international travel.”

Mr Hunt said any surplus successful vaccine would be offered to other countries battling Covid-19.

“If there is additional capacity, we will be supporting our neighbours,” he said.

Originally published as University of Queensland coronavirus vaccine trials prove successful on elderly