Aust Covid vax plan revealed

Australia is working towards being able to manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine for both Australia and its neighbours, Industry Minister Karen Andrews said on Wednesday.

Giving her first National Press Club address, Andrews said identifying local vaccine manufacturing capability was one of the government's first priorities when the coronavirus pandemic was declared.

"We had established a health industry coordination group to look at procurement but also at what some of the other options were," she said, tasking CSIRO with mapping Australia's capability to manufacture a vaccine.