Virus variants no strain, say vaccine makers

THE manufacturers of Australia’s first two COVID-19 vaccines are confident the jabs will be effective against dangerous new variants of the virus, although they can be quickly strengthened if required.

Appearing at a Senate inquiry into the pandemic, Pfizer and AstraZeneca chiefs have also warned the EU against implementing vaccine export controls that could compromise Australia’s rollout, due to start in late February.

Pfizer’s Australian medical director Krishan Thiru said preliminary testing of its vaccine – which was approved for use in Australia on Monday – showed it was effective against the new UK variant. He said it would likely also be effective against the South African variant.

If the jab was less effective, Dr Thiru said the new mRNA technology could be tweaked within six weeks, delivering a “faster way of rolling out a potential booster vaccine”.

AstraZeneca Australia’s senior medical director Carla Swemmer said there was no evidence its vaccine, which is expected to be approved here in coming weeks, could not combat new variants.

She said its viral vector platform could also be adapted “relatively quickly” if required.

Australia has ordered 10 million Pfizer doses, with the first 80,000 due to arrive from Belgium later next month.

The EU moved this week to force onshore vaccine manufacturers to notify them of doses being exported overseas, prompting concerns about Australia’s supply.

Dr Thiru said it was “not an export control” and it was “critical” governments did not implement such restrictions.