Australians will receive their first coronavirus vaccinations in February instead of March, following new advice from medical experts and regulators.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was hoped around 80,000 vaccinations a week would be achieved and built up over four to six weeks, with four million people vaccinated by the end of March.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration was expected to receive all of the data it needed from vaccine developer Pfizer in mid-January, with approval due by the end of January.
“It is moving considerably faster than normal vaccine approval processes but without skipping a step, without cutting a corner,” Mr Morrison said on Thursday.
The approval process regarding another vaccine, by AstraZeneca, is due to be completed in February.
Mr Morrison said Pfizer’s global protocols required about two weeks for delivery post-approval.
He anticipated there would be some logistical issues as the vaccine had to be stored at minus-70 degrees Celcius.
After delivery of the vaccines there would be up to a week required for batch testing of the vaccine doses.
The Pfizer vaccine would require a second dose within a couple of weeks to a month.
The first group to be vaccinated through a network of hospitals would be quarantine and border workers, frontline health officials, aged care and disability workers and aged care residents.
