Australia has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use but warned AstraZeneca’s international production problems mean the country would need to distribute a locally manufactured shot earlier than planned, Reuters reported.

Vaccination of priority groups with the Pfizer vaccine is expected to begin in late February at 80,000 doses per week, Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters.

Hunt said AstraZeneca had advised Australia the company has “had a significant supply shock and so that means we won’t have as much of AstraZeneca international[ly available] in March as they had previously promised”.

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