Australia hopes to roll out almost 85 million vaccine doses for COVID-19

Australia says it will secure almost 85 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine if two promising trials prove successful.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country had struck two deals that would allow free doses to be rolled out in 2021 if they were approved for use.

Morrison estimated the cost to be 1.7 billion Australia dollars.

One vaccine is from Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, while the other is a local one from the University of Queensland.

Both would most likely require people to take two doses.

Australia has recorded more than 26,000 coronavirus cases and 769 deaths, most in the past two months after an outbreak in Victoria.

[Source: BBC]