Five-year defence but not immunity

THE world’s most advanced coronavirus vaccine won’t provide “absolute” immunity but will likely offer “protection” from the deadly disease for about five years.

Health Minister Greg Hunt has revealed he has spoken directly with head of the AstraZeneca/oxford University vaccine program Professor Sarah Gilbert about the potency of the drug, which is in stage three trials.

“(Prof Gilbert) said it’s likely to be, but we can’t say definitively, a multi-year defence in the order of five years as a guide, and it’s likely to give significant protection,” Mr Hunt said. “But we can’t say yet whether we’ll be an absolute protection.”

Mr Hunt ( pictured) precise efficacy of the Oxford University vaccine — of f which Australia has secured 33.8 million doses — was “yet to be determined”.

“But the initial, and then the progressive results with immunity and T cells, antibodies are positive,” he said.

Mr Hunt said the promising vaccine meant Australia would see a “progressive capacity” to bring people from overseas, and for residents to travel internationally “more and more” as people are vaccinated.

He said the results from both the Oxford University and the University of Queensland vaccine — of which Australia has secured 51 million units — were “more positive than expected”.

“We are now close to additional contracts and there are two further ones on the advice of the medical expert panel which have been pursued and, which I am confident will be completed within the coming weeks,” Mr Hunt said. said the