Damon Mcknight
Australia has not developed its own vaccine for COVID-19, but the country has agreements to purchase vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Novovax. In 2020, the University of Queensland and Australian firm CSL were working on a vaccine, but it was cancelled after it was found that a protein fragment used in the vaccine could trigger a false positive response to some HIV tests. There were also misleading claims made by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that Australia had ditched its vaccination campaign because the vaccine does not work. However, as of February 2021, Australia had not started its coronavirus vaccination campaign. As of late 2021, coverage of 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had reached >95% in adults in Australia, but by December 2022, uptake had slowed, especially among children aged 5-15 years.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Has Australia found a vaccine for coronavirus? | No, as of February 2021, Australia had not started its coronavirus vaccination campaign. |
| Vaccines in development | 5 |
| Vaccines in human clinical trials | 5 |
| Vaccines in pre-clinical trials | 2 |
| Vaccines in use | Pfizer COMIRNATY, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna's Spikevax, Novavax |
| Vaccination coverage among adults | >95% (2 doses) |
| Vaccination coverage among children aged 5-15 | 52.1% (2 doses) |
| Vaccination coverage among adults (boosters) | 72.4% (dose 3), 44.3% (dose 4) |
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What You'll Learn
Australia's vaccine development and testing
Australia has not developed a vaccine for COVID-19. However, the country has been actively involved in vaccine development, testing, and distribution. In July 2020, Federal Science Minister Karen Andrews expressed optimism about a vaccine, stating:
> It's entirely possible that by the end of this year or early next year we will have a vaccine for COVID-19.
Indeed, Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) fast-tracked the testing of two vaccine candidates, one from the US and one from the UK. The CSIRO was the first research organization outside of China to generate sufficient stocks of the virus to enable research and conduct preclinical trials. The preclinical testing phase was expected to take about three months, after which human trials would be conducted by Oxford University, UK, and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, US.
In December 2020, a vaccine in development by the University of Queensland (UQ) and Australian firm CSL was cancelled. This decision was made after it was discovered that a protein fragment used in the vaccine could trigger a false positive response to some HIV tests. The UQ emphasized that there was no possibility of the vaccine causing HIV infection, and routine follow-up tests confirmed the absence of the HIV virus. However, it was agreed that significant changes to established HIV testing procedures would be required to accommodate the rollout of this vaccine.
As of February 2021, Australia had not yet started its coronavirus vaccination campaign. However, by late 2021, coverage with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine rapidly reached >95% in adults in Australia. By December 2022, vaccine uptake slowed and plateaued at lower levels for children aged 5-15 years and for adult boosters. Australia has agreements to purchase vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Novovax, and the government is working to secure additional vaccines, such as Moderna's Spikevax vaccine.
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Roll-out of the vaccine
As of April 2024, Australia has not developed its own vaccine for COVID-19. However, the country has agreements to purchase vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Novovax. The roll-out of the vaccine in Australia has been a gradual process, with the government working to provide safe vaccinations to all Australians. Initially, there were concerns about the availability of the vaccine, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison stating that a start date for the roll-out was yet to be decided. However, by February 2021, vaccines were expected to be ready for shipping and distribution to priority groups.
The Australian government has played an active role in the roll-out process, with the Queensland Government, for example, working alongside the national government to provide the vaccine to Queenslanders. The government also recognised the importance of domestic manufacturing to ensure a stable supply of vaccines. Federal Science Minister Karen Andrews stated that Australia planned to manufacture any vaccines developed in the country, reducing its vulnerability to overseas supply chains. This plan was further supported by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), which fast-tracked the testing of vaccine candidates from the US and the UK.
Despite the challenges, Australia made significant progress in its vaccination efforts by late 2021, with coverage of two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine reaching over 95% in adults. However, by December 2022, the uptake slowed, particularly among children aged 5-15 years, with booster doses for adults also plateauing at lower levels. To address this issue, health authorities recommended increasing the uptake of scheduled doses, including among previously infected individuals after the recommended post-infection delay.
The roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine in Australia has been a collaborative effort involving various government agencies and international partnerships. The country's focus on ensuring a stable supply of vaccines through domestic manufacturing and its commitment to providing safe and effective vaccinations to its citizens have guided the roll-out process. While there have been setbacks and delays, Australia has made substantial progress in vaccinating its population, achieving high coverage rates among adults in the initial stages of the roll-out.
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Vaccine uptake in New South Wales
Australia has not found a vaccine for coronavirus, but it has agreements to purchase vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Novovax. There were five Covid-19 vaccines in human clinical trials in Australia, according to the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS). However, a vaccine in development by the University of Queensland (UQ) and Australian firm CSL was cancelled in December 2020 because a protein fragment used in the vaccine could trigger a false positive response to some HIV tests.
A study on COVID-19 vaccine uptake by infection status in New South Wales, Australia, was published in May 2023. The study linked Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) data and COVID-19 notifications for residents aged 5 years and above in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan and Hunter New England areas of New South Wales. The data was collected as of May 29, 2022.
The study found that while over 95% of adults in Australia received 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by late 2021, the uptake had slowed and plateaued at much lower levels for subsequent doses by December 2022. Specifically, for children aged 5-15 years, only 52.1% had received 2 doses, and for adults, 72.4% had received dose 3 and 44.3% had received dose 4. The study also revealed that individuals with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection were less likely to receive subsequent vaccine doses compared to those without a previous infection.
The researchers suggested that ongoing monitoring of vaccination uptake and timely linkage to infection status could help identify gaps in SARS-CoV-2 population immunity and vaccine recommendations. This information could be used to develop targeted public health campaigns to reduce COVID-19-related illness rates.
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The AstraZeneca vaccine
The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, also known as ChAdOx1-S [recombinant] vaccine, is a product of a partnership between the University of Oxford and the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca. The vaccine is based on the virus's genetic instructions for building the spike protein, which the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses to enter human cells.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is a genetically engineered common cold virus that used to infect chimpanzees. It has been modified to make it weak so that it does not cause illness in humans. The vaccine is loaded with the gene for the coronavirus spike protein, which COVID-19 uses to invade human cells. The vaccine is injected into the arm, where the adenoviruses bump into cells and latch onto proteins on their surface. The cell then engulfs the virus and pulls it inside. Once inside the cell, the adenovirus escapes and travels to the nucleus, where the cell's DNA is stored. The adenovirus pushes its DNA into the nucleus, and while it is engineered so that it cannot make copies of itself, the gene for the coronavirus spike protein can be read by the cell and copied into a molecule called messenger RNA, or mRNA.
The recommended dosage is two doses given intramuscularly with an interval of 8 to 12 weeks between doses. The vaccine has an efficacy of 72% against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, with an overall efficacy of 76%. The vaccine is safe and effective for all individuals aged 18 and above. However, a very rare adverse event called Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS), involving unusual and severe blood clotting events associated with low platelet counts, has been reported. The AstraZeneca vaccine can be offered to people who have previously had COVID-19, but individuals may choose to delay vaccination for three months following the infection.
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The Pfizer vaccine
Australia has not found a vaccine for coronavirus, but it has agreements to purchase vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Novovax. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was introduced in 2020 and has been a target of conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns. The vaccine underwent extensive human clinical trials prior to FDA authorization and has been administered to hundreds of millions of people globally. Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine is an mRNA vaccine that uses plasmid DNA as a building block. It does not contain infectious SV40 virus or oncogenes, and there is no link between this vaccine and the occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or mycoplasma pneumonia. While heart issues have rarely been observed after vaccination, the benefit-risk profile of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine remains positive for all authorized indications, uses, and age groups.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia has not developed a vaccine for coronavirus in-house, but it has agreements to purchase vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Novovax.
Australia's vaccination program reached >95% coverage with 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in adults by late 2021. However, by December 4, 2022, uptake had slowed, especially for children aged 5-15 years and for booster shots among adults.
Apart from the Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Novovax vaccines, the Moderna Spikevax vaccine is also available in Australia.
Once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), its ingredients are listed in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.
