Australia to start making mRNA vaccines at home

Australia said on Tuesday it plans to start making mRNA vaccines at home with a new plant that could produce up to 100 million doses each year. Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Melbourne that the vaccines will not only meet Australia's needs, but also his country's Pacific neighbors.

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison said "The mRNA vaccines have proven to be, I'd argue, the biggest scientific discovery over the course of this pandemic, and that means that they are a big part, a massive part of the future of vaccines not just here in this country but all around the world. And so, we set about the task of ensuring that we have the manufacturing capability to do that, first of all, to keep Australians safe, and to protect their health, not just against COVID, but against the many other communicable diseases.”  

New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazard urged residents to receive their booster vaccines when the State recorded 804 cases on Tuesday. Morrison said the mRNA vaccines production is likely to start in 2024 pending regulatory and planning approval.