Prime Minister Morrison said Australia had secured access to a "promising" Covid-19 vaccine that would be provided free of charge to the entire population.

"The Oxford University vaccine is one of the most advanced and promising vaccines in the world. Under an agreement with Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, we have guaranteed early access for all Australians"

"If the vaccine is proven to be successful, we will immediately produce and provide it with our own internal capabilities, free of charge to all 25 million Australians," added Morrison.

The vaccine, jointly developed by Oxford University with AstraZeneca, is one of five vaccines in the world undergoing Stage Three testing with thousands of people, including three Western and two Chinese.

Prime Minister Morrison said the Australian government is in talks "with many parties around the world" on other potential vaccines, as well as supporting national scientists' efforts to research vaccines.

Although no Covid-19 vaccine has yet been shown to be effective in clinical trials, at least 5.7 billion doses have been pre-ordered around the world.

Mr. Morrison said Australia remains committed to ensuring early access to vaccines for Pacific countries and partners in Southeast Asia.