Health Minister Greg Hunt has confirmed Australia is in “advanced negotiations” to have a coronavirus vaccine manufactured Down Under.
Mr Hunt, who is quarantining in Canberra, said Australia had already signed two pre-contractual nondisclosure agreements with vaccine manufacturers.
His comments follow a report that Australia is days away from signing a deal with Oxford University to produce its “promising” vaccine.
The development comes as former chief medical officer Professor Brendan Murphy was on Sunday leading a team investigating “negotiating positions” for the international contracts.
At least 160 clinical trials are already under way with more set to begin in coming months as researchers try and find the most effective treatment against the virus.
“With regards to the Russian vaccine, that is not one that had been recommended by our medical expert team at this stage,” Mr Hunt said.
“We will monitor it, we will be very cautious about it given the small number, less than 40, on whom it had been tested during initial trials.”
Mr Hunt said data was showing it was now far more likely than not scientists would develop a genuine vaccine that would be available in 2021.
But it was not clear if it would be a partial vaccine, which is used to combat viruses such as the flu, which needs to be updated, and may not provide universal protection.
A full coronavirus vaccine would provide the equivalent protection of small pox or measles vaccines against those diseases.
Mr Hunt said a coronavirus vaccine would be fully funded by the government and available to the whole population.
He told Sky News on Sunday morning the negotiations provided a “genuine ray of hope”.
Biotechnology company CSL has a facility in Melbourne that has been flagged as a potential onshore manufacturing site.
Opposition health spokesman Chris Bowen welcomed the announcement that the government was in negotiations for advanced supply agreements but argued Australia was behind the rest of the world.
“The United States has six of these agreements are ready, the United Kingdom, three, Japan, three, Brazil has one, South Korea has one,” Mr Bowen said.
“We are hoping a vaccine is available in 2021 and certainly the sooner in 2021, the better.
“We need at least 60 per cent of the population to be vaccinated as soon as possible and of course in due course, every Australian to be vaccinated for COVID-19 when that vaccine is available.”
The Sunday Telegraph reports the federal government is in the final stages of negotiations with a manufacturer to produce the drug from pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
The UK-based company recently signed the European Union’s first finalised vaccine supply agreement, and has pledged to supply 400 doses of experimental vaccine AZD1222.
Mr Hunt said he was “optimistic” a vaccine was close, but declined to confirm details in The Sunday Telegraph report.
Mexico and Argentina have reached agreements to produce the COVID-19 vaccine, designed by Oxford University.
Last week, former chief medical officer Brendan Murphy confirmed Australia was exploring its options for a vaccine, saying once a deal was locked and the vaccine was ready it would take just weeks to begin production.
“We have been closely following all of the vaccine developments, we are actively discussing with all of the so far successful candidates, we are not at the back of the queue,” Dr Murphy said.
“There will be further announcements shortly.
“We are well in front of the queue.”
Australia has recorded 23,287 coronavirus cases diagnosed since January and 396 lives lost.
“Today that has been added to with 16 from Victoria, agonisingly, and one from NSW,” he said.
On Sunday, 680 people were in hospitals across Australia. Forty-seven remain in intensive care, and 34 of those are on ventilators.
In Victoria, 414 nursing home residents have been transferred to hospitals following outbreaks at facilities.
Federal Government figures also reveal 39 active cases among National Disability Insurance Scheme participants in the state.
But Mr Hunt said there was also “hope in the numbers”.
“These things are coming together to show an early, but clear, flattening of the curve,” he said.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiowFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9saWZlc3R5bGUvaGVhbHRoL2hlYWx0aC1wcm9ibGVtcy9hdXN0cmFsaWEtY2xvc2UtdG8tc2lnbmluZy1kZWFsLXRvLXByb2R1Y2UtY29yb25hdmlydXMtdmFjY2luZS9uZXdzLXN0b3J5L2ZjYmI0OWJiZmQ2MDEyYzAxMThmYWQyMGYzN2M1NzRh0gGjAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLm5ld3MuY29tLmF1L2xpZmVzdHlsZS9oZWFsdGgvaGVhbHRoLXByb2JsZW1zL2F1c3RyYWxpYS1jbG9zZS10by1zaWduaW5nLWRlYWwtdG8tcHJvZHVjZS1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy12YWNjaW5lL25ld3Mtc3RvcnkvZmNiYjQ5YmJmZDYwMTJjMDExOGZhZDIwZjM3YzU3NGE?oc=5
2020-08-16 04:52:30Z
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