Australia concludes a “swap” deal of 4 million doses of vaccine with the United Kingdom

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The United Kingdom will send 4 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine to Australia in a swap deal aimed at accelerating Canberra’s spotty rollout and boosting British supplies later in the year when ministers push for a boost campaign.

The first batch of 292,000 doses of BioNTech/Pfizer will arrive in Australia in the coming days, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, with the rest due by the end of the month.

Australia will return the equivalent of 4 million doses before the end of the year, according to the UK Department of Health.

The agreement aims to speed up the introduction of vaccination in Australia, which has been one of the slowest in the world, and Morrison said it would allow the government to bring forward its anticipated reopening date.

It reflects UK accounts that it does not currently need all of its stored doses, which expire in a matter of months if not used, with London allowed to ramp up supplies later this year in anticipation of a massive booster campaign and vaccination of 12 to 15-year-olds general.

“There are four million reasons to feel hopeful today,” Morrison said. “From Downing Street to Down Under, we are doubling the doses of Pfizer here in Australia this month.”

The Australian Department of Health said about 37 per cent of Australian adults had received two doses of the vaccine. In the UK, 79% of those over the age of 16 have been fully vaccinated, according to official figures.

“Our agreement with Australia will share doses at the optimal time to strengthen the vaccination programs in our two countries,” said Sajid Javid, Britain’s health minister.

The United Kingdom on Wednesday took the first tentative step towards a campaign to boost green lighting with a third dose of some 500,000 people with severely compromised immune systems. The NHS is planning a booster drive that includes all people over 50.

Pressure is also growing on the UK government’s Vaccine Advisory Group, the Joint Committee on Immunization and Immunization, to sign off on vaccinations for younger teens amid fears that reopening schools in September will lead to a new wave of infections.

Morrison has defended Australia’s national reopening plan, to go ahead with the removal of restrictions when the country’s vaccination rates reach 70 and 80 per cent, despite opposition from state premiers who are reluctant to ease restrictions. Australia reported more than 1,600 new coronavirus infections on Friday.

Rasmus Beach Hansen, CEO of life sciences analytics firm Airfinity, told the Financial Times that the deal is part of a growing trend of “diplomacy-driven bilateral deals” on vaccines.

He added that he stressed the introduction of contradictory vaccines in the two countries.

He said: “In the UK, supply is outstripping demand, while in Australia, it’s the other way around.” “These doses will probably expire and there is confidence that Pfizer’s supply will run low, so there is no real reason to sit on big piles of vaccines.”

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