The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for use, with 80,000 Aussies a week to get the jab from late February.
Exactly one year after Australia confirmed its first ever COVID-19 case, the country has approved a coronavirus vaccine.
The vaccine, provided by US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech, is about 95 per cent effective in preventing severe COVID-19 symptoms.
Scott Morrison said the approval was a “big step” in Australia’s COVID-19 fight, but said it would not mean life could go back to normal.
“It important to understand that once the vaccine starts, that doesn’t mean you can jump on a plane to Bali the next day, it doesn’t mean that the masks disappear,” he said in Canberra.
“This will build, it will start at small scale, it will build up and it will happen over a period of time as we have outlined over the course of this year. Of itself, it is not a silver bullet because there are still limitations to what these vaccines can do.”
How many Pfizer vaccine doses will we get?
Australia has secured just 10 million doses, which is only enough to vaccinate 5 million people given that each person needs to have two jabs for it to be effective.
The vaccine rollout will begin at the end of February or early March with 80,000 doses a week.
Who will get it first?
Front line workers and the elderly are in the top priority groups for the vaccine, followed by Indigenous Australians and those with underlying medical conditions.
It will be made available for the rest of the adult population in phase four of five of the rollout.
Health Minister Greg Hunt expected that to be before October.
Where will we get it?
Right now the Government is looking at up to 50 hospital sites, but is hoping to expand to 1000 “presence points” across the country. This will include GPs and pharmacists.
Is it the only vaccine we are getting?
No. The Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to be cleared by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration in coming weeks.
Following this, 1.2 million doses will be shipped over in March. Australian-based firm CSL will then take-over manufacturing the vaccine and domestically produce 50 million more doses.
Are the two vaccines the same?
Yes and no.
Both need a double dose, but while Pfizer needs to be stored at about -60 degrees Celsius, AstraZeneca only needs to be stored at about 2 degrees.
This will make AstraZeneca easier to store and transport, meaning GPs and pharmacists will be able to give jabs.
However, the effectiveness of the vaccines is quite different. While Pfizer has a 95 per cent effectiveness, AstraZeneca sits at about 70 per cent.
Department of Health Secretary Brendan Murphy assured Australians both were “very good” vaccines and would stop most severe COVID-19 symptoms.
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Will a vaccine be compulsory?
No. The Government has been asked on this a lot and maintained that it will not be mandatory to be vaccinated.
However, some sectors like aged care might make it a prerequisite for employees.
And airlines like Qantas have signalled they will require proof of vaccination before you board an international flight in the future.
Feature image: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
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