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Australians may have a long wait to get the ‘miracle’ coronavirus vaccine which is being rolled out across the UK as the government only ordered enough to cover five million residents.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, proven to be safe in clinical trials, is now being given to members of the public in Britain, which is the first country to give a jab to its citizens.
The Australian government secured a deal with Pfizer to receive 10 million doses over the next year.
But the vaccine requires two doses per person, meaning Australia’s initial order would only cover five million people, leaving 21 million residents waiting for other vaccines to be approved.
And until those vaccines are approved, it’s unlikely Australians will be free to travel overseas.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (pictured in London on Tuesday) is now being given to members of the public in Britain, which is the first country to give a jab to its citizens
Qantas boss Alan Joyce sparked anger from vaccine skeptics last month when he said his airline won’t allow passengers to travel if they don’t get the jab.
Mandatory vaccination already exists as a condition of entry for certain countries for other diseases such as yellow fever or polio.
Under federal law anyone entering from a country with yellow fever without a jab can be placed under ‘quarantine surveillance’ which does not restrict their movement but requires them to seek assessment from a doctor if they develop symptoms of yellow fever.
So it may not be that unusual for international governments to begin dictating policy around inoculation to restrict the spread of COVID-19.
This is particularly true for the Asia Pacific region where infection rates are far lower than the United States or United Kingdom.
Australians will likely be stuck in the country, unable to holiday overseas, until the vaccine has been rolled out across the country (pictured, an traveller is seen carrying their luggage off the bus as they enter hotel quarantine in Melbourne on Monday)
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has previously said a vaccine, which is expected to roll out in March, will be optional but the government will find ways to encourage people to take it.
He signalled foreign travel could be off the cards until the vaccine is rolled-out, calling it ‘very challenging’ without a jab.
The prime minister has also revealed international travellers flying to Australia without proof of a vaccine would be forced into hotel quarantine – at their own expense.
‘Where people have the choice of two weeks of quarantine or being vaccinated, I think that will be an incentive,’ he said in November.
Life in the UK could soon return to normal with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine being rolled out, while in Australia social distancing may remain for some time still (pictured, a socially distanced Bondi Beach on November 28)
The Australian government has secured deals for 134.8m doses from four different vaccine developers, but it is not clear when those could be rolled out
The jab will first be handed to health workers and the vulnerable, such as the elderly and Indigenous Australians. Children are not classed as vulnerable and will not be prioritised.
Until the vaccination is rolled out, social distancing may have to remain to ensure a massive outbreak does not occur.
The government has secured deals for 134.8 million doses from four different vaccine developers, which would easily cover every citizen.
But it is not clear when those could be rolled out.
Australia does not have a way to approve a drug for emergency use unlike the UK, meaning full approval will be required – which can take months if not years.
Mr Morrison said Australia was in no rush because the Covid-19 situation in Australia is ‘very stable’ with only a handful of cases.
‘In Australia, we are in a very strong position and that enables us to get this right,’ he said.
Australian regulators are considering three vaccines – which all require two doses per person – with data from final-stage trials expected to be released in full this month.
John Skerritt, deputy secretary of the Therapeutic Goods Administration – the agency which approves drugs and vaccines – said his team will analyse the data over Christmas.
‘We’ll receive final data for some of the products in December and we’ll then hope that late January into February we’ll, if all goes well, have a regulatory approval,’ he said.
After the approval is granted, the vaccine doses will be transported around the nation.
Minister Hunt said: ‘We are on track for decisions with the early vaccines by the end of January. We are on track for first vaccinations beginning with our health workers and our aged care residents subject to approvals in March.’
The government has extended its ban on international travel on Wednesday after health chiefs deemed COVID-19 a significant public health risk internationally due to the rapid spread of the virus in many other countries.
Borders were slammed shut to all non-residents on March 20 to stop the virus spreading from overseas, and will now remain closed until at least March 2021.
The deals add to agreements already signed with the University of Queensland and the University of Oxford and take the total number of potential doses secured to 134 million
Australians are only be able to leave the country with specific exemptions.
Cruise ships have been banned since the Ruby Princess disaster in NSW, which resulted in almost 900 infections and 28 deaths.
The battered cruise and travel industries are bound to be unhappy with the extension.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the disease was continuing to spread overseas at a rapid rate.
‘The international world remains a challenging and dangerous environment and Australia won’t be fully safe until the international community is safe.
‘The risks abroad are enormous, and if we don’t maintain these important protections, then we won’t be protecting Australians.’
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