Australia entered a manufacturing deal for a potential COVID-19 Vaccine candidate that is being developed by AstraZeneca. According to the terms of the agreement, all Australians will receive the COVID-19 vaccine once the Oxford University trials are successful.
Australia to vaccinate all its population with Oxford vaccine
Scott Morrison the Prime Minister of Australia indicated that the Oxford University trial is already in the third phase but there is still a need for more work to prove the viability of the vaccine. Morrison added that should the trials prove to be safe and successful they will manufacture and supply the vaccine and avail it to all the 25 million Australians for free. Although the premier suggested that the vaccine they will manufacture will be shared with neighbouring countries he however offered little details on the same.
The Prime Minister indicated that the vaccine could be available as early as next year should trial be successful as manufacturing will require a few more months. Morrison said that the vaccine could be mandatory for all Australians but the government is currently forming policy on the same.
What is AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine for coronavirus
AstraZeneca and Oxford University are developing the COVID-19 vaccine which has so far been promising. The COVID-19 vaccine candidate is among the five promising that are in advanced phases of clinical studies and various countries are already trying to secure supplies for their citizens. The SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate called “ChAdOxl nCoV-19” has demonstrated immune response in humans without any side effects.
The vaccine employs the adenovirus to carry the gene for the coronavirus spike protein in human subjects. Human cells will then express the gene and produce significant SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins evoking the production of antibodies.
However, it has not been ascertained fully that the vaccine can protect against the virus and it has to successfully go through the third phase trials with results expected at the end of this year. Also, it is yet to be tested on vulnerable groups and trials so far have been on young, healthy subjects.
