Second Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shipment lands in Australia

A second shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Australia on Tuesday morning, confirmed by Health Minister Greg Hunt earlier this week.

The cargo arrived in a Singapore Airlines flight overnight on Tuesday in Sydney, boosting supply as the nationwide vaccination program continues.

Minister Hunt explained that this will be the first of two to arrive over the course of the next week. Between the two shipments, an estimated 280,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine should be delivered this week.

Minister Hunt continued that 166,000 Pfizer doses have already arrived, with an estimated 120,000 doses set for next week.

“It’s important that we have consistency, we’re always provisioning for the second doses which is the recommendation of our medical advisors and making sure that we have contingency if, at any stage, there were an issue with the supply chain,” he said.

“But I have to say, the consistency of supply has been strong and heartening.”

Having spoken with Pfizer CEO Anne Harris, Minister Hunt said that the company has given good, strong confidence and forward guidance of their continued deliveries.

“And that just gives Australian’s confidence –gives us confidence in terms of the effectiveness of the vaccines and confidence in terms of the reliability of supply which is very important,” he said.

Australia received its first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, February 15, officially commencing the nationwide vaccine rollout the following Monday, February 22.

Among the groups to first receive the vaccine were quarantine, frontline health and airport workers and aged and disability care residents and staff, with Victoria and New South Wales the first two states to begin the rollout. South Australia, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory soon followed.

The Australian Government has entered into four separate agreements of the coronavirus vaccine, including the AstraZeneca, Novavax and COVAXX Facility vaccines, bringing the total nation’s supply to 150 million doses.