All vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, are rigorously tested for safety, quality and effectiveness before they are made available.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the world, driving scientists, researchers, manufacturers, and distributors to work together quickly to develop a vaccine to combat the virus.
Along with this global cooperation, years of previous research about the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), and large amounts of funding, resources and technological advances have helped deliver COVID-19 vaccines to the world, without compromising safety procedures and processes.
In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (external link) (TGA) is the authority responsible for assessing our vaccines. They look at any risks and benefits of vaccines, carefully analyse manufacturing standards and the results of clinical trials, and check every vaccine batch before it is released.
Even after a vaccine is registered for use by the TGA, it still goes through ongoing monitoring to ensure its safety, and any reported side effects are also thoroughly investigated.
Learn more about Pfizer (external link), AstraZeneca (external link), Moderna (external link), and Novavax (external link), the COVID-19 vaccines currently approved for use in Australia.
