Coronavirus: Australian scientists raise doubts over whether AstraZeneca vaccine can deliver herd immunity

The opposition to the vaccine casts a cloud over Australia’s immunisation plans with 53 million doses of the AstraZeneca jab already on hand

Given the low case numbers and community transmission rates, some experts say Australia could afford waiting for a more effective vaccine

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Australian scientists have questioned the effectiveness of the of the AstraZeneca vaccine. photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:43pm, 13 Jan 2021Updated: 9:31am, 14 Jan 2021

Australian scientists have raised questions over the efficacy of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in establishing herd immunity, calling for a pause on its widespread roll-out as the country recorded one new coronavirus case on Wednesday.

The opposition to the vaccine casts a cloud over Australia’s immunisation plans with 53 million doses of the AstraZeneca jab already on hand.

“The question is really whether it is able to provide herd immunity. We are playing a long game here. We don’t know how long that will take,” said Professor Stephen Turner, the president of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology (ASI).

Turner added that the government must pivot towards getting more of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

Experts, including Turner, cited data showing the AstraZeneca jab had 62 per cent efficacy compared with over 90 per cent for the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine.

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