CSL head of medical affairs evades questions about how many COVID-19 vaccine doses are ready

CSL’s head of medical affairs, Dr Jonathan Anderson, has evaded questions about how many Melbourne-made COVID-19 vaccines are ready to roll out.

The locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved by Australia’s medical regulator, and is set to begin rolling out doses later this week.

But Dr Anderson said he couldn’t give “the exact number” of vaccines currently ready to go.

“Our peak (weekly) production is a million, and so we’ve got plenty of vaccines that will be going out,” he told Ross and Russel.

ROSS STEVENSON: “Sorry to be pushy doc, but plenty means how many?”

DR ANDERSON: “Well, think about the way the program is going to rollout over the next few weeks. We’re going to start to vaccinate people who are in the Phase 1B group…”

ROSS STEVENSON: “I totally understand but how many have you got at the moment?”

DR ANDERSON: “I can’t give you the exact number today but we can reassure you all we’re producing, from our factory in Melbourne, plenty of doses that will meet the demand.”

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