A wave of COVID-19 vaccination doses is about to sweep Australia's states and territories, as a 'game-changing' batch of doses arrives from the UK.
The 500,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine secured by the federal government from Singapore have been given the tick of approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and are being dispatched.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Sonya Bennett said the first instalment of four million Pfizer doses from the UK have arrived in Australia, with the rest due over the remainder of September.
She said the initial shipment was supposed to be 290,000 doses, but fortunately that will be 450,000 doses.
The vaccines arrived in Sydney on Sunday night.
The vaccines arrived at Sydney Airport on Sunday night (pictured) after a stop-off in Darwin on the way from the UK
'So the additional supplies are really reassuring,' Dr Bennett said.
'We would just like to encourage all Australians, given the circumstances, to book in and go and get their first doses as soon as possible.'
Scott Morrison last week said he owed his British counterpart, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson 'a beer', saying the deal had been done between 'mates'.
The additional supplies will support the national COVID-19 response plan to get to 70 and 80 per cent vaccination targets to enable restrictions to be eased.
So far, more than 35 per cent of the eligible population aged over 16 is fully vaccinated with two doses.
However, it would appear that the boundaries laid out in the plan are not set in stone.
Scott Morrison (pictured, left) has thanked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) saying he owes him 'a beer' for the vaccine delivery
'The national plan is designed to give us a framework on which to operate from,' federal minister Stuart Robert told ABC's Insiders program on Sunday.
But he conceded the plan may change with circumstances.
'Look at the last 12 months, things have been
