Power of science is set to conquer Covid pandemic

Dare we hope the COVID-19 pandemic is almost beaten? Thanks to science, the answer is yes. The announcement that global medical experts predict normal life may return by Easter is a tonic for the entire world. The announcement by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer that its vaccine trial has wildly exceeded expectations has raised the prospect that five million Australians — starting with health and aged-care workers, the elderly and the vulnerable — will receive the requisite two doses of the coronavirus vaccine early next year. Last week the Morrison government announced it had struck a deal with Pfizer for 10 million doses of its vaccine. Pfizer, founded in 1849 by German-American Charles Pfizer and his cousin Charles Erhart in Brooklyn, New York, has developed its vaccine with German partner BioNTech. On Monday afternoon US time it released interim data from its phase three trial confirming the vaccine was 90 per cent effective. It was, as Pfizer chairman Albert Bourla said, “a great day for science and a great day for humanity”. And for the spirits of billions of people and for the world’s economic prospects.

Scientists caution that the data has not yet been peer-reviewed, As Natasha Robinson reports on Wednesday, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration has wasted no time in clearing the way for Pfizer to apply for fast-tracked approval via emergency regulations. These allow for the provisional registration of urgently required vaccines. The TGA is examining safety data and working with overseas regulators to slash the time it will take to approve the vaccine for use. Such a breakthrough is desperately needed.

In the past week 3.5 million new cases of the virus have been diagnosed, taking known cases across the world past 51 million, Health Minister Greg Hunt told question time on Tuesday. Another 50,000 people have died from the virus in the past week, taking the death toll to 1.26 million. Australia, heading into summer and shielded by our island status and international border controls, was in the fortunate position on Tuesday of recording our third COVID-free day in a row, with nobody in intensive care with the virus. That situation has been achieved, however, only after nine months of intense and often heartbreaking sacrifices and effort by communities and businesses under the leadership of governments forced to make hard decisions. Nothing is certain in dealing with a deadly, highly contagious and unpredictable enemy. But if the vaccine matches its promise, Australia’s death toll hopefully will be contained at the current figure of 907 — 819 of which occurred in Victoria. Australia, to date, has recorded 27,668 COVID cases.

Australians will not be the first in the world to be immunised, as Tom Dusevic writes, because the government was slow to back a horse in the vaccine stakes. Keeping our options open could mean taxpayers will pay a premium, perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars more, to get “free” access to a suite of vaccines. The Pfizer vaccine is one of four Australia is involved in. The government also has supply agreements for three other vaccines, developed by Oxford University-Astra­Zeneca, the University of Queensland-CSL and Novavax, which are due in the next year pending clinical success and approvals. As Oxford University regius professor of medicine Sir John Bell says: “I can’t see any reason now why we shouldn’t have a handful of good vaccines.’’ Nor, as Australia’s retiring Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel, told the government earlier in the year, is it a given that vaccines licensed first will be the most effective. As Dr Finkel said, in the rush to develop a vaccine, international regulatory and safety protocols must not be weakened.

Until the virus is conquered, Australia will continue on the narrow, challenging path of opening up the economy, encouraging recovery while also guarding against infection through social distancing, tracking and good hygiene. The Morrison government’s decision to extend JobSeeker coronavirus payments at a reduced rate until the end of March, assisting more than 1.5 million unemployed people, is a sensible interim step. The advent of a safe, effective vaccine, however, will be the most important step in the return to normal. Christmas is shaping as “COVID normal”. Easter promises more, but a full return to normal will not happen overnight. When it does, we will value it like never before.