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Australia Reaches Deal to Secure Millions of Doses of Potential COVID-19
Vaccine

VOA News

   The Australian government has reached a deal to secure 25 million doses
   of a potential COVID-19 vaccine from British pharmaceutical giant
   AstraZeneca that is currently undergoing late-stage human trials.

   The new vaccine, dubbed AZD1222, was developed by Britain's University
   of Oxford and licensed to British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.

   "The Oxford vaccine is one of the most advanced and promising in the
   world," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday in a statement
   announcing the deal." Morrison said if the vaccine passes the human
   trials, it will be offered for free to every Australian, hopefully by
   early next year.

   But the prime minister said the government is also in talks to secure
   other potential coronavirus vaccines, including one being developed by
   domestic drugmaker CSL Limited in cooperation with the University of
   Queensland, warning "there is no guarantee that this, or any other,
   vaccine will be successful."

   Morrison also said Australia intends to play a role in "supporting our
   Pacific family" by supplying a safe and effective vaccine to its
   regional neighbors, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

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