Australia expects to receive AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine within months

By Colin Packham

 

FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia expects to receive its first batches of a potential COVID-19 vaccine in January, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, as the number of new daily infections in the country's virus hotspot fell to a 10-week low.

 

Morrison said his government has struck a deal with CSL Ltd to manufacture two vaccines - one developed by rival AstraZeneca <AZN.L> and Oxford University, and another developed in CSL's own labs with the University of Queensland.

 

"Australia needs some hope," Morrison told reporters in Canberra. "Today, we take another significant step to protect the health of Australians against the coronavirus pandemic."

Health Minister Greg Hunt said scientists leading the development of both vaccines have advised that recent evidence suggests both will offer "multi-year protection".

 

Morrison said CSL is expected to deliver 3.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is currently undergoing late-stage clinical trials in Britain, Brazil and South Africa, in January and February next year.

 

AstraZeneca's candidate, AZD1222, is viewed as a frontrunner in the global race to deliver an effective vaccine to combat the virus.

 

Australia had announced in August that it planned to buy AZD1222, along with an agreement of intent from CSL to manufacture it. That plan was thrown into some doubt when CSL announced shortly afterward that it would prioritise the manufacture of its own vaccine.

 

Morrison's announcement on Monday that Australia would also purchase the CSL drug if trials proved successful appeared to be the culmination of a deal to get both vaccines across the line.

 

The CSL vaccine is due to begin second stage clinical trials in late 2020, meaning the earliest it could hit the market would be mid-2021.

 

Should both vaccines pass clinical trials, Australia will spend A$1.7 billion (935.04 million pounds) for a total of nearly 85 million doses, Morrison said.

 

The agreement came as Australia reported its lowest one-day rise in new COVID-19 cases since June 26, with 45 infections in the past 24 hours, 41 of which were recorded in Victoria state.

 

Australia's second most populous state has been the epicentre of a second wave, and now accounts for about 75% of the country's 26,320 cases and 90% of its 762 deaths.

 

The southeastern state on Sunday extended a hard lockdown in its capital Melbourne until Sept. 28 as the daily infection rates had declined more slowly than hoped.

 

JOB LOSSES

 

The extension of the lockdown in Melbourne is expected to fuel further job losses. The national Treasury Department said the original six-week lockdown had already cost Victoria around 250,000 jobs, or half the total recorded by the state since the pandemic began.

 

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Monday announced Australia would extend its temporary insolvency and bankruptcy protection rules until the end of this year, barring creditors cannot issue bankruptcy notices to businesses for debts below A$20,000.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-07

 

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Then force Australians to take it.

18 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Then force Australians to take it.

I agree, but very doubtful. Not only because of the legality, but also because there are a lot of loonies out there, anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theory believers, ‘freedom’ thinkers, and so on and so forth, and they will all refuse to be vaccinated.

55 minutes ago, rudi49jr said:

there are a lot of loonies out there, anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theory believers

Make them wear bells around their necks to warn others of danger. The rights of sane people to live must override their rights to be dicks.

20 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Then force Australians to take it.

You only need to force the Melbourne bogans. The rest of Australia can't wait for a viable vaccine.

20 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

AstraZeneca's candidate, AZD1222, is viewed as a frontrunner in the global race to deliver an effective vaccine to combat the virus.

I notice the word “safe” is conspicuous in it’s absence in the entire article.

31 minutes ago, grumbleweed said:

Make them wear bells around their necks to warn others of danger. The rights of sane people to live must override their rights to be dicks.

Take heed of antivaxers, they've watched every episode of "Forensic Files" and know more than the whole scientific community 

Edited September 8, 20205 yr by Bkk Brian

1 hour ago, rudi49jr said:

I agree, but very doubtful. Not only because of the legality, but also because there are a lot of loonies out there, anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theory believers, ‘freedom’ thinkers, and so on and so forth, and they will all refuse to be vaccinated.

The jack booted Nervous narrative nannies will agree without question for fear of being labelled a free thinker and continue to label others in a vane effort to not be seen as different from the majority as there is the illusion of safety in numbers.

36 minutes ago, polpott said:

You only need to force the Melbourne bogans. The rest of Australia can't wait for a viable vaccine.

With all this attention on bogans the yobbos are feeling left out and are planning a comeback but first they must over take the dags which are also lagging far behind!

If anyone who takes the jab , needs their head examined. This whole thing is artificially contrived spiked numbers and raised global hysteria. look around folks , people are pushing back as should be. Also if your afraid of dying of COVID , then maybe you should have taken better care of your health early on. A healthy immune system works wonders. NOT BIG Pharma. 

3 hours ago, polpott said:

You only need to force the Melbourne bogans. The rest of Australia can't wait for a viable vaccine.

Not as simple as just Melbourne bogans. My son follows this stuff quite a bit and anti-vaxxers are now comprised of right wing nationalist types, left wing hippies, coastal mellow folk and inner city hipsters. Some posh suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne now have large pockets of anti-vaxxers. Nevertheless it seems the vast majority of Aussies would take the jab for coronavirus... https://www.sbs.com.au/news/nearly-90-per-cent-of-australians-say-they-will-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-if-one-becomes-available

5 hours ago, nervona81732 said:

If anyone who takes the jab , needs their head examined. This whole thing is artificially contrived spiked numbers and raised global hysteria. look around folks , people are pushing back as should be. Also if your afraid of dying of COVID , then maybe you should have taken better care of your health early on. A healthy immune system works wonders. NOT BIG Pharma. 

What an ignorant, selfish, irresponsible post. Should have taken better care of yourself? Like who? an elderly person in their 70's / 80's or someone with a condition that was no fault of their own re Asthmatics, Diabetics, heart issues etc. 

7 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Take heed of antivaxers, they've watched every episode of "Forensic Files" and know more than the whole scientific community 

Is that the same scientific community behind the recent polio outbreak caused by the vaccine, as well as the perfectly safe for pregnant women thalidomide?

4 hours ago, Donga said:

Not as simple as just Melbourne bogans. My son follows this stuff quite a bit and anti-vaxxers are now comprised of right wing nationalist types, left wing hippies, coastal mellow folk and inner city hipsters. Some posh suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne now have large pockets of anti-vaxxers. Nevertheless it seems the vast majority of Aussies would take the jab for coronavirus... https://www.sbs.com.au/news/nearly-90-per-cent-of-australians-say-they-will-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-if-one-becomes-available

In another decade you'd just be called a terrorist or supporter of terrorism whenever you had no argument but just wanted to call your opponent a bad name rather than actually debate the point.

I don't know how we got from that to calling anyone dubious of the vaccination a "right winged nationalist" - (as if caring about the future of your nation, its demographics and its representative democracy is somehow heinous). Of course, having a memory longer than a goldfish and realising that public policy behind a pandemic which has had failure after failure in data, process and handling, doesn't really elicit confidence when it's also been rushed to market by publicly traded companies all keen on making $$ over safe trials which typically take years - according to the experts - but which has somehow magically been done in a matter of months this time around.

Of course, being legitimately concerned about forced vaccination for a virus using brand spanking new mRNA techniques - in fact the first of its kind and incredibly novel - must mean you're a conspiracy theorist, right? In that case - beam me up mulder, the truth is out there.

Edited September 8, 20205 yr by DaftToPutRealName

9 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

I notice the word “safe” is conspicuous in it’s absence in the entire article.

As is the word effectiveness (of the vaccine).

On 9/7/2020 at 7:47 PM, tribalfusion001 said:

Then force Australians to take it.

Rubbish

If,the thai Government said a condition of residing in thailand was having the jab as part of your visa requirements what would you do, refuse and leave or have it.

 

3 hours ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

Rubbish

Just wait and see. Maybe incentives to have it, not allowed to travel betweens states and foreign travel. Never rule anything out with this current situation.

41 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

Just wait and see. Maybe incentives to have it, not allowed to travel betweens states and foreign travel. Never rule anything out with this current situation.

There may even be tax incentives or it may even be a requirement to get the covid19 / centerlink benfits. 

It will be required for overseas traval anyway. State borders may have similar restrictions for awhile.

Edited September 8, 20205 yr by ndreamer

The Oxford Uni vaccine development project has hit a snag:

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-09/coronavirus-vaccine-on-hold-patient-adverse-illness-astrazeneca/12643812

 

 

12 minutes ago, simple1 said:

The Oxford Uni vaccine development project has hit a snag:

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-09/coronavirus-vaccine-on-hold-patient-adverse-illness-astrazeneca/12643812

 

 

Safety first, thats why there's phase 3 trials to identify such problems. 

Strange that they don't say what the "suspected adverse reaction" and/or what the "'a potentially unexplained illness'" is?

 

But most of these vaccine developers (in the U.S. anyway) will release all sorts of positive preliminary information to pump the stock.

 

Funny, I never gave a thought to "safety", assumed that would be a given, more concerned about efficacy, number of shots, annual booster, etc.

 

 

AstraZeneca vaccine trial paused to investigate 'a potentially unexplained illness'

 

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/515558-astrazeneca-vaccine-trial-paused-to-investigate-a-potentially-unexplained

 

6 hours ago, heybuz said:

If,the thai Government said a condition of residing in thailand was having the jab as part of your visa requirements what would you do, refuse and leave or have it.

 

I'm sure the local doctor could be persuaded to write a letter much in the same way that doctors seem to be able to provide whatever else you need irrespective of reality.

5 minutes ago, DaftToPutRealName said:

I'm sure the local doctor could be persuaded to write a letter much in the same way that doctors seem to be able to provide whatever else you need irrespective of reality.

Probably easier and safer if you let an agent make that kind of arrangement.

21 hours ago, rudi49jr said:

I agree, but very doubtful. Not only because of the legality, but also because there are a lot of loonies out there, anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theory believers, ‘freedom’ thinkers, and so on and so forth, and they will all refuse to be vaccinated.

Given what we know about the process of releasing new medicines and vaccines - the trials and the testing periods etc - the loonies are the one's that take this rushed out POS.

 

It is a real shame it became a race. Couldn't mankind have once put all the best and brightest together to produce the vaccine?

 

Nope

 

What happened was profit making organizations around the world all "raced" to get it out because of the absolutely massive profits to be made if they became 'the one'. If you think corners weren't cut in that process -you need your head examined.

 

My own plan, if it becomes mandatory - will be a generous bung to the nurse/doctor to squirt that <deleted> down the sink and then take it in about 3-5 years time if people aren't banging their heads against walls at that point.

5 hours ago, simple1 said:

The Oxford Uni vaccine development project has hit a snag:

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-09/coronavirus-vaccine-on-hold-patient-adverse-illness-astrazeneca/12643812

 

 

Just put it on hold till after November 3rd, to eliminate any possible adverse effects of a release prior to then.

From CNN

 

• Drug giant AstraZeneca paused a trial of its coronavirus vaccine because of an unexplained illness in one of the volunteers.

 

Lets not rush these things folks. 

I want a vaccine, I want a safe vaccine, I won't be first in line to take version 1.0 of the vaccine

This is actually the second pause of human trials on this vaccine, the first one was due to a patients illness but after investigation it was ruled unrelated to the vaccine. This case is again a single case from 1000's and the pause is described as an abundance of caution. It also proves that the trials data monitoring of patients is doing its job well.

21 hours ago, grumbleweed said:

Make them wear bells around their necks to warn others of danger. The rights of sane people to live must override their rights to be dicks.

Yep and I hope that people who refuse to be vaccinated will not gain entry in Thailand for instance and other countries. Show them that refusal to get vaccinated and protect others comes at a cost. 

16 minutes ago, kwonitoy said:

From CNN

 

• Drug giant AstraZeneca paused a trial of its coronavirus vaccine because of an unexplained illness in one of the volunteers.

 

Lets not rush these things folks. 

I want a vaccine, I want a safe vaccine, I won't be first in line to take version 1.0 of the vaccine

sure don't rush them.. trails have to be done and must end with positive results. But once that is done those who don't take it should at least be punished some way for their selfishness. They want to have the economies opened restrictions lifted but not do their part. I hope that countries like Thailand only allow those who are vaccinated in the country.