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COVID-19 vaccines

Australia's Chief Medical Officer Defends AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine Amid Concerns

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Australia's chief medical officer, Professor Paul Kelly, has defended the country's decision to secure 54m doses of the Covid-19 vaccine made by Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, despite concerns that it may not be effective enough to achieve herd immunity. The vaccine has been criticized by some medical experts, who claim it has "lower efficacy" and may not prevent the transmission of the virus. However, Professor Kelly and other experts have pointed out that the vaccine is effective, safe, and high quality, and that it is not possible to rely solely on one type of vaccine to establish herd immunity.

Key Takeaways:

  • The AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has shown 70% efficacy in protecting against symptomatic disease, with 62% efficacy for those given two full doses and 90% efficacy for those given a half dose followed by a full dose.
  • The vaccine is effective, safe, and high quality, according to Professor Kelly, who said it will be further assessed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
  • Australia has also secured doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which uses mRNA technology and has not yet been registered by Australia's drugs regulator.
  • The Therapeutic Goods Administration will provide a full approval for the AstraZeneca vaccine soon.
  • The Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine uses a viral vector, which is a weakened or inactivated virus, whereas the Pfizer vaccine uses mRNA technology.
  • One of the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine is that it can be manufactured in Australia, whereas the technology for mass production and cold-chain storage of the Pfizer vaccine is not available in Australia.
  • Fifty-one million doses of the Novax protein vaccine have also been secured, and Australia has joined the Covax Facility to purchase more vaccines as they become available.

Statistics:

  • 54,000,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine have been secured by Australia.
  • 51,000,000 doses of the Novax protein vaccine have been secured.
  • 10,000,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be delivered to Australia over a year.
  • 53,000,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be delivered to Australia at a rate of one million doses per week.

Sources:

  • Kelly, P. (2021).
  • Australian Medical Association.
  • British Crown.
  • World Health Organization.

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