Vaccine candidates show early success as Australia starts preparing domestic manufacturing of the life-saving drug.

An American vaccine candidate is showing promise, with Pfizer and BioNTech revealing today their vaccine was more than 90 per cent effective.

Australia will have access to Pfizer vaccine after the Federal Government signed an agreement with pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer at a cost of $1.5 billion.

It comes as biotech company CSL is beginning to manufacture the Oxford University AstraZeneca vaccine domestically in Australia.

CSL executives confirmed with Sydney Morning Herald today that vaccine doses would begin being thawed on Monday, after being frozen in liquid nitrogen.

The company will produce about 30 million vaccine doses for Australians.

The developments have bolstered the Government’s hopes to have a vaccine available early next year, and widely acceptable by the end of 2021.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said early data from various vaccine candidate trials were “positive”.

“We will examine the evidence carefully but the latest results are heartening news,” he said.

Further COVID-19 news on SoPerth.com.au.