How wealthy Aussies could get early access to Covid-19 vaccine

The Australian government could be rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine to citizens in just a few months, but there might be a way people wanting the vaccine could bypass the official distribution plan.

The government has secured multiple deals with the best coronavirus vaccine candidates to ensure Australians can start receiving the jab as soon as possible.

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer claimed its vaccine candidate showed 95 per cent effectiveness and is preparing to request emergency use of the vaccine from US regulators.

As soon as a candidate is approved, the Australian government will work to manufacture the vaccine and start rolling it out to Australians as quickly as possible.

Frontline workers and the elderly will likely be the first to get the vaccine under the government’s rollout plan, but there is anotherway otheraussies could get the jab sooner than expected.

Head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), John Skerritt, said there was “nothing stopping” manufacturers selling the vaccine to private companies.

“We live in a freemarket economy. There’s nothing stopping companies, as long as they have thetgaapproval, to put that vaccine on the market in

Australia,” he said.

That means Aussies who are willing to pay for the vaccine could get the jab a lot faster than if they waited for the free vaccine from the government.

While the idea of getting as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible might seem like a good one, some experts have warned there are flaws with allowing these private sales.

University of Sydney associate professor Barbara Mintzes; professor emeritus of health policy and management at York University, Joel Lexchin; PHD candidate and pharmacist at the University of Sydney Kellia

Chiu; and adjunct lecturer at the University of Sydney Zhicheng ( Jeff ) Wang, wrote a joint article explaining the issues associated with individuals being able to pay to get the vaccine early.

In the article published by The Conversation, professor Mintzes and her associates said a private market allowswealth to be put ahead of need.

“If companies set aside a portion of their limited supply for private sales, people who need the vaccine the most, such as health workers and older people, may have to wait longer.”

Several vaccines may come on to the market, and the group of experts say private sales could mean people won’t receive the candidate that would bemost effective for them.

Private sales could also mean follow-up on the vaccine’s long-term effectiveness and side effects may be poorer.

The World Health Organisation has warned vaccines should not been seen as a magic solution to the virus and many countries may have to “climb thismountain” without them.

“I think it’s at least four to six months before we have significant levels of vaccination going on anywhere,” said WHO’S Emergencies Programme executive director Michael Ryan. news.com.au