The Australian government will phase out the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford coronavirus vaccine from October, a top health official said here. Covid-19 Task Force commander Lt. General John Frewen on Wednesday night released Department of Health projections detailing the vaccine doses each state and territory will be allocated every week for the rest of the year. He said that the AstraZeneca vaccine, of which Australia has acquired 53.8 million doses, will still be available beyond October on request.

The report states that Australia will receive between 1.7 million and 2.3 million doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine every week from the start of October, up from 650,000 per week in July and August. The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently only recommended for Australians over 60, with Pfizer preferred for everyone else. Frewen said the data would improve transparency around the vaccine rollout and allow states and territories to plan ahead.

"This is giving the states all of the best information we can to help them plan to get all of the vaccinations that we can provide to their citizens as quickly as possible," he said. The projections also revealed that the government expects Moderna's vaccine to be available from September, with 87,000 doses distributed per week.

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