By Elishya Perera
SYDNEY, Australia (CWBN)_ Australia’s plans for a COVID-19 vaccine are ahead of schedule, with public distribution expected to commence as early as March, Health Minister Greg Hunt said. He noted that the government’s approach was to “under-promise and over-deliver”, and therefore, March would be the earliest a vaccine would be available to the public.
The Health Minister said that the local head of AstraZeneca has confirmed the final assessment from the Therapeutic Goods Administration for the Australian Government’s supplies of the vaccine to be completed in the coming weeks, with Australians expected to be fully vaccinated by the October next year.
Meanwhile, the government has also finalised its contract with Pfizer, and expects its assessment to be completed at the end of next month, Hunt said.
Moreover, he commended Sydneysiders for stepping up to get tested following the recent Northern Beaches outbreak, as it is reported that around 200,000 tests were conducted in past five days.
“If you can be tested it might be an inconvenience, but it could protect your life and others,” he said.
He noted the way the public has been cooperative in testing and contact tracing has resulted in a significantly lower number of infections for the Sydney cluster compared to the recent second wave experienced in Melbourne.
