How the COVID Vaccine Will Work When It’s Introduced in March

It will be free and won’t be mandatory.

As we know all too well, this year has been a wild ride of quarantining, social distancing, mask wearing and working from home all thanks to COVID.

While some of us have kind of enjoyed being introverts for such a long time, there are a lot of people wanting to get back to class, the office or even travel both domestically and internationally.

However, it’s not looking like all of this will be completely possible until Australia has their hands on a successful and safe COVD-19 vaccine, and enough doses of it.

The Aussie government has been putting a lot of money into serval potential vaccines to make sure they find the best possible option as quickly as they can, but for the last few months, we've just been patiently waiting.

Now there’s a small glimmer of hope over the horizon, as the Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced that the first coronavirus vaccine will become available early next year.

What is the vaccine?

The vaccine known as ChAdOx1nCov-19 or AZD1222 and has been developed by AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company in the UK and Oxford University.

It shows an average efficacy of 70 per cent, with one dosage giving a patient 90 per cent protection.

"What we see with the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is an effectiveness rate averaged at 70 per cent, but up to 90 per cent in what is increasingly likely to be the options that will be deployed," Mr Hunt said.

Researchers have found in trials that patients given half a dose followed by a full dose of the vaccine will have better protection than those who receive two full doses.

This means that more people could potentially be vaccinated more quickly, as more doses will be available.

The Australian government has made a deal to manufacture 30 million doses of the vaccine over the next 12 months and another 3.8 million doses are scheduled from overseas, following their approval from regulators.  

When exactly will it be available?

Mr Hunt announced that the vaccine will be available to Australians as early as March next year.

"The news from overseas means that we are on track for first vaccines in March," he said in a press conference on Tuesday.

"And our expectation is that all Australians who seek it will be given access to a free vaccine on a voluntary basis during the course of 2021.

"And so that means we have a pathway to, not just a COVID-safe Australia, but a fully safe Australia, a return to normal."

For now, there is no exact date set in March but watch this space for updates.

Who will get access to the vaccine first?

To ensure that health workers, the elderly and vulnerable Australians are protected against coronavirus, they will be the first the receive the vaccine if they choose to get it.

"So that will obviously start with the health workers, and, if approvals are granted, for the elderly," Mr Hunt said.

So, while the vaccine will technically become available in March next year, unless you belong to one of those groups, you may have to wait a few more months before you can get vaccinated.

While you may have to wait, it should eventually be available to everyone in 2021.

"All Australians who seek it will be given access to a free vaccine over the course of 2021," Mr Hunt said.

The federal government has also stated that the vaccine will be free and not mandatory, so it will be available to every Australian, but if you choose not to vaccinate or are unable to for medical reasons you can sit this one out.

Header Image: kovop58 via Getty Images