Moderna COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Australia

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provisionally approved the Moderna vaccine to use for Australians aged 18 and over. It is the third vaccine to be used in Australia to combat the surge of the Delta variant, with AstraZeneca and Pfizer.

The Australian government has secured 25 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, including the supply of 10 million doses in 2021 and 15 million doses of its updated variant booster vaccine in 2022.

Moderna is seeking to make its vaccine available to Australians as young as 12, but could also use Australia as a trial country for vaccinating children as young as six months.

The first one million doses of Moderna will arrive in early September and will go to pharmacies. By the end of the year, 10 million doses of Moderna will be in the country. 

The Head of the TGA, Adjunct Professor John Skerritt, said the data for the Moderna vaccine for use in people under the age of 18 is promising. 

Provisional approval has currently only been given for Moderna's use in adults, but Professor Skerritt said this was done to speed up the rollout in Australia.

Use of Moderna for teenagers aged 12 and over is expected to be approved in the next three to four weeks. 

The vaccine requires two doses, administered 28 days apart.