'Mix-and-match' COVID-19 vaccine doses a possibility for Australians

Australia's top doctor has floated the idea of "mix-and-matching" different types of vaccines.

Secretary of the Department of Health Brendan Murphy said there was "no good scientific reason" to not get two different vaccine shots.

"We think there is no reason why you can't mix and match vaccines," he said.

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"The trial data is not out yet.

"There are some trials being done in the UK, looking at AstraZeneca first dose and Pfizer or Moderna second dose."

It comes as the Australian government announced it had secured 25 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Ten million of those shots will be delivered this year.

The biotechnology company said it was already in discussions with Australia about potential local manufacturing of the vaccine.

While not approved yet in Australia, it has generally been listed for use in adults of all ages in countries that have rolled it out.

"We appreciate the partnership and support from the government of Australia with this first supply agreement for doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and our variant booster candidates," Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, said.

"As we seek to protect people around the world with our COVID-19 vaccine and potentially our variant booster candidates, we look forward to continuing discussions with Australia about establishing potential local manufacturing opportunities."

The Moderna vaccine uses the same mRNA technology as Pfizer and has performed similarly in drug trials to date.

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The vaccine has been shown to be 94.1 per cent effective in preventing coronavirus infection.

About a million people receive the Moderna vaccine every day in the United States.

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