Australia will be at the top of the vaccine queue for future pandemics as the new Melbourne facility opens.
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00:00With the opening of today's Moderna facility here in Melbourne, we secure yet another tool
00:05in that toolkit for the next pandemic because unfortunately we do know there will be a next
00:11pandemic.
00:12This facility has the capacity to produce up to 100 million doses of locally made vaccine
00:18in a pandemic response scenario.
00:21It's a really major step forward to helping Australians be protected against future pandemics
00:27while supporting local industry.
00:30With this facility, Australia will be less dependent on imported mRNA vaccines during
00:35a pandemic.
00:36We'll be less vulnerable to the supply disruptions or delays caused by global events, a resurgence
00:42of COVID-19 infections or indeed a new different pandemic.
00:47This is the only mRNA manufacturing facility that will be found in the southern hemisphere
00:53and it means from end to end, the research and the manufacturing capacity here will go
00:58on and produce at full tilt, when the team here are operating at full tilt, up to 100
01:04million vaccines a year.
01:07Then there is also two productions of these vaccines for our community, responding, responding
01:12to the health needs, responding to those viruses and illnesses that can make people very sick.
01:18And finally too, what we're marking here today is another milestone that continues
01:22to cement Melbourne alongside London and Boston as global biotech leaders.