Australia Approves AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] Australia has approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced on the 16th through an official statement that "the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for adults aged 18 and over has been approved." The TGA also stated, "The vaccine has been shown to elicit an immune response in the elderly aged 65 and over," recommending vaccination for the elderly as well. However, "vaccination for elderly patients should be decided on a case-by-case basis considering the benefits and potential risks of vaccination depending on age, comorbidities, and environment."

This is Australia's second COVID-19 vaccine approval. Last month, it authorized the vaccine jointly developed by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech.

Federal Prime Minister Scott Morrison explained, "The AstraZeneca vaccine has met the inspection standards for safety, quality, and efficacy," adding, "It will be supplied free of charge to Australians." Local media also reported that the first batch of 3.8 million AstraZeneca vaccines is scheduled to be imported early next month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.