Australia signs two more COVID-19 vaccine agreements

Australia has secured 50 million more potential coronavirus vaccine doses through two new agreements that will boost federal government funding of its immunisation plan to more than $3.2 billion.

Under the new deals, to be announced on Wednesday, Novavax will supply 40 million vaccine doses and Pfizer/BioNTech will provide 10 million, should the vaccines be proven safe and effective through advanced clinical trials.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right) and Health Minister Greg Hunt say Australia has secured two new agreements on potential vaccines.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Both vaccines, which will likely require two doses, are expected to be available in Australia during the first half of next year, subject to approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for use in Australia.

Novavax, a protein type vaccine, is undergoing late-stage testing in a British trial that started in September, with the company gearing up for a large phase three trial in the United States and Mexico later this month.

The other vaccine, developed by Pfizer and Germany company BioNTech, contains genetic material messenger called mRNA. It injects people with the genetic material necessary to grow the "spike protein" of SARS-CoV-2 inside their own cells, eliciting an immune response the body will remember when it encounters the real virus.

Large phase two and three clinical trials are ongoing globally in older adults, younger adults and adolescents. Both vaccines will be available to Australians for free to those who choose to be vaccinated.

The two new agreements build on the existing commitments to purchase the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and a local candidate from the University of Queensland together with Australian manufacturer CSL Limited.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said by securing multiple agreements, the government was giving Australians the best shot at early access to a vaccine, should trials prove successful.

"We aren't putting all our eggs in one basket and we will continue to pursue further vaccines should our medical experts recommend them," Mr Morrison said.

"There are no guarantees that these vaccines will prove successful, however our strategy puts Australia at the front of the queue, if our medical experts give the vaccines the green light."

Australia's COVID-19 vaccine portfolio now has two protein vaccines, one mRNA vaccine and one viral vector type vaccine, strengthening its position to access safe and effective vaccines as soon they are approved by authorities.

Both the Novavax and Pfizer vaccines would be made offshore in the United States, Czech Republic, Belgium and Germany.

Opposition health spokesman Chris Bowen said neither of the new vaccine deals would cover the Australian population.

"We support moves to secure more advance supply deals, but we were late to the party and are barely playing catch up," Mr Bowen said.

"We know no one vaccine will be a silver bullet, and even if successful, they won't be ready at the same time."

Mr Bowen said the Novavax vaccine deal would, in the first instance, leave five million without access.

He said there were also issues surrounding the Pfizer vaccine, which needed to be stored and distributed at temperatures as low as minus 80 degrees.

"We currently have no capacity to do this. So even if it was ready tomorrow, we couldn't use it. That's a big problem," he said.

"So these deals don't cover all Australians, and our supply chain simply is not ready. It's time to catch up, and fast."

Subject to the vaccine being registered by the TGA as safe and effective, preliminary advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is that the priority groups for the COVID-19 vaccine are those people who are at increased risk of exposure. They include health and aged care workers, the elderly and those working in services critical to societal functioning.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said "the goal and the expectation is that Australians who sought vaccination will be vaccinated within 2021".

The government is consulting with states and territories, key medical experts and industry peak bodies on the framework for the initial roll-out of the vaccination program early next year.

Key vaccination sites will initially include GPs, GP respiratory clinics, state and territory vaccination sites and workplaces such as aged care facilities.

Mr Hunt said the vaccine would not be mandatory and individuals will maintain the option to choose not to vaccinate.