Australia's Health Minister has provided an update of when Australians will be likely be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
While the country has very few active cases left, everyone is still holding out hope for a vaccine to allow for travel to open up.
Speaking to Sunrise, Greg Hunt said: "It is absolutely clear that we are on a path to having vaccines for all Australians during the course of 2021."
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After signing an international agreement for two new promising developments, Australia will soon have four vaccines available, with Hunt saying all were 'looking very promising and positive in terms of their results'.
"What we are doing is making sure that we have the best protection for Australia and for Australians, we now have what are called two protein vaccines, one viral vector and one mRNA," Mr Hunt continued.
"135 million units of vaccine are potentially available for Australia, with the most likely timing being the first quarter, probably March, for the first vaccines to roll out."
While Mr Hunt said the vaccine rollout was 'all dependent on the clinical trials and the regulatory approvals' he was becoming 'cautiously but progressively more hopeful about access for all Australians throughout the course of 2021 to vaccines'.
Hunt stated that the first vaccines would 'likely' be available in March.
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"If they were available earlier they would be made available earlier, if it takes a little bit longer that would be the case," he said.
"But that remains the guidance and that would start, not surprisingly, with health workers. And also the elderly, if there are approvals within the particular vaccine categories following the tests for the elderly."
It comes following the Health Minister's update earlier this week, where he revealed to the Herald that the government is sticking to its original plan of brewing the vaccine on home turf in November.
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The trial had to be put on hold in September after a patient became sick, which isn't really a surprise in clinical trials.
Several days later, the research resumed and scientists went back to seeing if their specific vaccine was the best shot at killing the coronavirus.
Greg Hunt revealed that Australia will not only be making the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, but three others, which include the jab from the University of Queensland.
He told News Corp: "The evidence on the first half of 2021 is strengthening and the evidence on first quarter of 2021 is strengthening and it's likely that new contracts would also involve first quarter delivery so you know we're thinking March may be possible.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: covid, vaccine, Australia
