Australia to receive 4million extra doses of Pfizer within DAYS in a vaccine swap deal with the UK
Australia will get 4million early doses of the Pfizer vaccine in a swap deal with the UK.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the doses were ‘on the tarmac’ ready to leave London and would be distributed in Australia in the next few weeks, doubling the amount of vaccines arriving in Australia this month.
‘This means from Downing Street to down under, we are doubling down on what the Pfizer doses are here in Australia,’ Mr Morrison said.
Australia will get 4million doses of the Pfizer vaccine in a swap deal with the UK. Pictured: Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson in the UK in June
‘I want to thank very, very much Prime Minister Johnson. He and I started discussing this some time ago.
‘I want to thank him for his personal commitment to this. And his great friendship with Australia.’
Mr Morrison said the deal was helped by his friendship with UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid who was promoted to the role in June.
Mr Javid’s predecessor Matt Hancock was sacked after he was caught on camera having an affair at work with his glamorous aide.
The doses will be distributed between the states and territories on a per capita basis.
Mr Morrison said the deal was helped by his friendship with UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid who was promoted to the role in June. Mr Javid’s predecessor Matt Hancock was sacked after he was caught on camera (above) having an affair at work with his glamorous aide
The Prime Minister has been scrambling to secure extra Pfizer from allies around the world after only initially ordering 10million doses in November last year.
Last month the government bought 1million doses from Poland and secured 500,000 from Singapore in a swap deal.
On Thursday Daily Mail Australia revealed Mr Morrison was on the cusp of clinching a third international vaccine deal but was not expecting any help from the US.
America is described as Australia’s most important ally but President Joe Biden has not handed Canberra a single Covid-19 vaccine.
The President has already donated more than 110million vaccines around the world – including 2.5million to Canada and 3.5million to Argentina – but his focus is on saving lives, protecting America’s neighbours and assisting poor countries, meaning wealthy Australia is way down his donation list.
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said it was embarrassing that Australia had to ask allies for help.
Luka Wain, 17, (right) and 15 year old brother Darcy receive their Pfizer vaccinations at the Royal Exhibition Building COVID19 Vaccination Hub in Melbourne on Thursday
‘The fact that a country with Australia’s resources has to go around asking other countries for vaccines is another sign that this is the biggest government failure in memory,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It all comes back to Mr Morrison doing too little, too late – failing to order enough vaccines last year – and it’s Australians paying the price.’
The government initially ordered 10million Pfizer vaccines before upping this to 40million due to changing health advice around AstraZeneca.
Australia has ordered 85million Pfizer vaccines to arrive from early next year to act as booster shots.
Police patrol Sydney’s Bondi Beach in 22C heat on Friday morning