However, because Australia's population is much smaller than the US or Britain, getting adequate supply should be easier even without a pre-purchase agreement.
So far, Australia's Health Department has focused on supporting local and international vaccine research, while hoping that whatever vaccine is developed can be manufactured in Australia by CSL. The Australian government has invested in University of Queensland's COVID-19 vaccine – currently in animal trials – as well as funding the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which in turn is funding several other vaccine ventures. The coalition has pledged to equitably distribute a vaccine if it can develop one.The government has also committed $352 million as part of a European Union-led initiative to develop COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.
A Health Department spokesman said: "At this stage it is unclear which vaccine platform will be found to be both effective and safe in humans." "It is critical that manufacturing capability be aligned with the successful vaccine technology or technologies."AstraZeneca holds the licence for a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford that is one of the first to go into human trials.The company has signed contracts to sell 100 million doses to Britain and another 300 million to the US government – the second deal worth a reported $US1.2 billion.