Australia approves highly effective Moderna Covid-19 jab for over 18s - adding 25million doses to national vaccine orders
Australia has approved the highly effective Moderna coronavirus vaccine, with the first doses due next month.
The American jab was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Monday afternoon.
The vaccine requires two doses 28 doses apart and latest data from the US shows it is 93 per cent effective against any infection, 98 per cent against severe disease and 100 per cent against death.
Australia has approved the Modern coronavirus vaccine. Pictured: Pfizer vaccinations in Sydney on Monday
The vaccine uses the same mRNA technology as the Pfizer vaccine and is not linked to the rare blood clots caused by the AstraZeneca jab.
It was approved by the UK in January and has also been used widely in Europe and the US where 140million doses have been given.
One million doses are expected to arrive in Australia in late September and three million in October, November and December.
Australia's agreement with Moderna is for 10 million doses of their current vaccine in 2021 and 15 million doses of booster or variant-specific versions of the vaccine in 2022.
The Moderna vaccine uses the same mRNA technology as the Pfizer vaccine. Pictured: Sydney residents in Bondi on Monday
Moderna is also considering using Australia as a trial country for children as young as six months if the medicines regulator grants approval.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said the government ultimately wanted people of all ages included in the rollout.
'Moderna's looking at a global trial, Australia may be part of that, but that will be subject to all of the technical and scientific advice that needs to be provided,' he told Sky News on Monday.
Professor John Skerritt, head of the TGA, said Moderna had not yet applied for a clinical trial.
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