Melbourne (ANTARA) – US drugmaker Moderna Inc will produce millions of mRNA vaccines a year in Australia after agreeing to set up one of its largest manufacturing facilities outside the US and Europe.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the factory in the state of Victoria is expected to produce up to 100 million doses of the mRNA vaccine annually when it starts operating in 2024.
“By advancing this new partnership, we are building on our sovereign ability to manufacture this vaccine in Australia,” Morrison told reporters in Melbourne.
Morrison did not provide financial details of the agreement but Australian media reported the deal could be worth around A$2 billion.
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Moderna said in October of plans to invest up to $500 million to build a plant in Africa that would produce up to 500 million doses of mRNA vaccines annually, including COVID-19 vaccines.
However, the company said it had not yet started the process of determining the country and location.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna and Pfizer uses technology messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), but can also be used to produce vaccines for other respiratory illnesses and seasonal flu.
The new plant in Australia will create stronger defenses against future pandemics and ensure manufacturing can be contracted locally to avoid global supply chain problems, said Acting Head of State of Victoria James Merlino.
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The announcement was made as the neighboring state of New South Wales reported its biggest daily rise in COVID-19 cases since lockdown almost four months ended in early October.
The Delta variant was responsible for most of the 804 cases reported on Tuesday, although the number of Omicron cases has been creeping up.
Despite the spike in new infections, officials say plans to ease restrictions in Sydney from Wednesday (15/12) will continue as they urge people to get injections. booster to counter the threat of the Omicron variant.
Australia has inoculated nearly 90 per cent of the population over the age of 16 with two doses of the vaccine and shortened waiting times for injections booster after the emergence of the Omicron case.
The country has recorded some 232,700 cases and 2,113 deaths since the pandemic began.
Source: Reuters
Also read: Australia accelerates delivery of COVID-19 boosters
Translator: Yashinta Difa Pramudyani
Editor: Mulyo Sunyoto
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