Moderna COVID-19 vaccine provisionally approved by the TGA for use in Australia

Australia now has a third COVID-19 vaccine available to combat the surge of the Delta variant, with Moderna joining AstraZeneca and Pfizer.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provisionally approved the Moderna vaccine for use in Australia.

Moderna has been provisionally approved as safe to use for Australians aged 18 and over.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the Moderna vaccine

The Australian government has secured 25 million doses of Moderna.

Mr Morrison confirmed the Moderna vaccine will be available for use from next month. 

The first one million doses of Moderna will arrive in early September and will go to pharmacies. By the end of the year, 10 million doses of Moderna will be in the country. 

Health Minister Greg Hunt described Moderna as "the next vaccine to save lives". 

The Head of the TGA, Adjunct Professor John Skerritt, said the data for the Moderna vaccine for use in people under the age of 18 is promising. 

Provisional approval has currently only been given for Moderna's use in adults, but Professor Skerritt said this was done to speed up the rollout in Australia.

Use of Moderna for teenagers aged 12 and over is expected to be approved in the next three to four weeks. 

The vaccine requires two doses, administered 28 days apart. 

Moderna is technically the fourth vaccine to be approved. Johnson and Johnson was approved by the TGA - but Australia won't be getting sent any does.

Despite the introduction of a third vaccine, the prime minister has reiterated getting vaccinated in Australia will remain "non-mandatory".

"The vaccination service is free and it is not mandatory. That's an important principle," Mr Morrison said.  

"We are not going to seek to impose a mandatory vaccination program by the government by stealth."