Australia doubles order of Pfizer vaccine

Australia is doubling its order of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine after limiting the AstraZeneca vaccine to adults over the age of 50.

Australia is purchasing 20 million does of the Pfizer vaccine on top of the 20 million doses the country already purchased last year, said Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Reuters reported.

The 20 million does that Australia is purchasing should arrive in the country in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The decision to stock up on Pfizer comes after the country said those under the age of 50 should not get the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Many countries are limiting the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after the European Union’s top drug regulator found a “possible link” between the vaccine and rare blood clots that have killed a small number of people.

“We’ve been taking the necessary precautions based on the best possible medical advice,” Morrison said when the decision to limit the AstraZeneca vaccine was announced. “It has not been our practice to jump at shadows.”

There have been more than 29,000 reported coronavirus cases and more than 900 deaths in Australia.