SYDNEY – Britain will send four million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Australia, said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison today, as his country races to halt a deadly virus outbreak.
He said the planes delivering the Pfizer doses are “on the tarmac” in the United Kingdom, and will deliver “four million doses of hope” within weeks.
Several of Australia’s largest cities are in lockdown, and case numbers and deaths are steadily rising, as the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads throughout the country.
Australia has a steady supply of the locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine, but residents have been hesitant to take it due to rare but highly publicised instances of the jab causing blood clots.
About 40% of Australian adults are fully vaccinated, well behind most rich nations, and the last 18 months have been marked by on-off restrictions.
Morrison said the vaccine delivery from “Downing Street to Down Under” is a “good deal between mates”.
“Thanks, Boris, I owe you a beer,” he said, referring to his British counterpart Boris Johnson.
As part of the swap, Australia will transfer four million Pfizer doses to the UK at a later date.
Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales reported another 12 virus deaths today, with the daily toll expected to jump as more than 1,000 people now contract Covid-19 daily. – AFP, September 3, 2021
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