Vaccine gets the OK, but the wait remains

MOST Australians will still be waiting weeks to receive their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine even after the jab gained approval for use in adults of all ages on Tuesday.

Everyone over 18 years old, including the crucial over 65 age group most vulnerable to COVID-19, has been approved to get the jab after an extensive review by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

The vaccine has proven 100 per cent effective in preventing death and severe disease and, with doses given 12 weeks apart, has shown an efficacy of 82 per cent against any illness.

Australia has secured 53.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with the initial supply to be imported from overseas by early March.

From the end of next month, about one million doses a week will be available from domestic suppliers CSL, which is manufacturing the jab in Melbourne.

The recommendation to give the doses three months apart is likely to push out the federal government’s goal of vaccinating the entire country by the end of October, but Health Minister Greg Hunt said everyone would have at least their first dose by then.

“Every Australian who seeks to have the vaccine will be in a position to have had at least the first dose,” he said.

“We’ll look at what it means in regards to the second dose.

“But frankly, it’s very, very good news. It means higher efficacy.”

Head of the TGA John Skerritt said his team of experts had determined AstraZeneca was safe and effective for the elderly.

“Our analysis of the data gives us no reason to suspect that the vaccine would not be fully efficacious in older groups,” Professor Skerritt said. “The experience in the UK is also of very good results obtained with both the (AstraZeneca and Pfizer) vaccines in older groups.”

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended a minimum of four weeks between doses if waiting for 12 is not possible due to a person having imminent travel commitments, cancer chemotherapy or major elective surgery.

The approval is subject to certain strict conditions, such as the requirement for AstraZeneca to continue providing information to the TGA on longer-term efficacy and safety from ongoing clinical trials and post-market assessment.

Australia’s first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine arrived on Monday and it is due to be rolled out across the country from February 22.