Australia to buy extra 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia says it has finalized a deal to buy an extra 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine as it rapidly pivots away from its earlier plan to rely mainly on the AstraZeneca vaccine. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the deal Friday just hours after saying Australia would stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine on people aged under 50. Australia’s pivot came after the European Medicines Agency said this week it had found a “possible link” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots, though regulators in the United Kingdom and the European Union emphasized that the benefits of receiving the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks for most people.