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Scott Morrison
“Australians will be among the first in the world to receive a safe and effective vaccine, should it pass late stage testing.”
Meanwhile Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the Victoria lockdown extension "hard and crushing news".
"In the absence of a vaccine, we may have to live this way for years," the PM said Friday.
The potential vaccine won’t be mandatory, but some experts are questioning if “crazy anti-vaxxers” should face travel bans and compulsory labelling.
“My wife’s 37 weeks pregnant, I wanted to get home to be here for the birth," said a paramedic who was working abroad.
Authorities say the second wave of new infections in Victoria may have peaked.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia's unemployment was forecast to peak at 10 per cent.
From Wednesday night, Melbourne will close retail, some manufacturing and administrative businesses as part of a six-week lockdown.
Australia's coronavirus death toll is now at 189.
Aged care homes are at the centre of Victoria’s outbreak, with 804 active COVID-19 cases linked to the homes, including workers.