AstraZeneca vaccines ready for rollout as Australia fast-tracks modified jabs
The first doses of the AstraZeneca virus vaccines are ready to be rolled out across Australia.
The government’s chief nurse, Alison McMillan, confirmed South Australia and Western Australia would be the first states to get the second vaccine type to be approved.
The vaccines will be administered from Friday.
So far, the Australian rollout has involved the Pfizer vaccine, with about 61,000 doses administered already.
That includes about 18,000 residents in aged and disability care.
Some 215 aged care and eight disability facilities have already been ticked off the rollout’s to-do list.
The AstraZeneca vaccines are from a batch that has arrived from overseas.
Most Australians will receive the AstraZeneca jab, with 50 million doses to be locally manufactured.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will face questions over the pace of the rollout when he meets state and territory leaders on Friday.
