18 August 2020 - The Morrison government has locked in a guarantee for the Aust­ralia-wide supply of the world’s first potential COVID-19 vaccine, under a deal signed with Britain-based drug giant AstraZeneca.

Scott Morrison has pledged that “every single Australian” would be offered the vaccine for free, if and when the Oxford University trial proved successful, which could be as early as the end of this year or early next year.

The agreement, which would ensure the vaccine was manufact­ured in Australia, is part of a multi-billion-dollar federal vaccine and treatment strategy, to be released on Wednesday and overseen by Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy, who has led the country’s pandemic response.

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