Pfizer Covid vaccine approved for Australia rollout
The Pfizer vaccine has met strict standards for safety, quality and efficacy, a statement from the prime minister’s office said on Monday, and the vaccine has been approved for rollout in Australia for people age 16 years and older.
The first vaccinations are expected to be in late February and the first 1.4m doses will go to a priority group that includes quarantine and border workers, frontline health workers in high-risk settings, and aged care and disability staff and residents. This will be administered at hospitals, with the government aiming for 80,000 doses a week.
Next, 14.8m doses will go to elderly adults age 70 and above and to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders over the age of 55. Other healthcare workers; young adults with underlying medical conditions and disability; and critical and high-risk workers including defence, police, ambulance, fire and meat workers will also be vaccinated as part of the second phase.
Two doses of the vaccine will be required at least 21 days apart. If there are delays in shipping or production, the government said rollout may be delayed until early March. The prime minister said this did not mean other public health and hygiene measures would end from February.
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