Australia's Covid-19 vaccination campaign will be strengthened after the Moderna jab received provisional approval for teenagers.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration, medicine regulator, announced on Saturday that it had provisionally approved Modernas Spikevax for adults 12 and over.
This lowers the age limit from 18 years. It was set in August.
Modernas vaccine was also approved for use in the UK, Canada and the European Union by regulatory authorities.
The dose interval and recommended dosage are the same for adults as the two doses taken 28 days apart.
This announcement comes after Australia's agreement with the UK to supply 4 million doses Pfizer vaccines under a vaccine swap.
Pfizer is now available to Australians aged 16 to 39. Bookings for 12-15-year-olds are open starting 13 September.
The UK will distribute the doses on an equal basis of population share, with 60% being delivered by the primary care network and 40% via state-based vaccination clinics.
Health authorities want as many people as possible, however, to get AstraZeneca shots.
In the last 24 hours, another 300,000.00 people were vaccinated. Double-dose coverage for those 16 and older hit 37.12% nationally.
The ACT is the leader in this area, with 44.55% of its population over 16 fully vaccinated. Western Australia trails with 33.26%.
The spiralling NSW epidemic, which saw another 1,533 people test positive for infection, and four deaths, fueled a record-breaking rise in infections.
Saturday's report from Victoria included 190 Covid cases. Both states have pinned lockdown exit plans for a rapid rise in vaccines.
Queensland's four-year old girl was infected with a new virus on Saturday. This has led to an isolation order of 1,000 families from the south-east.
