Australians can still expect a coronavirus vaccine by March despite further trials likely on a key candidate, the nation's health minister says.
Greg Hunt says Australia's vaccine time frame is unchanged, with expectations a safe and effective vaccine will begin being rolled out in March.
"The data on all of the leading vaccines has been good, and I'm looking forward to more positive news on other vaccines in coming weeks on preliminary briefings that we've had," he told reporters in Canberra on Friday.
"Each day there's news and there's progress, and there will be ups and downs in the vaccine process."
AstraZeneca faces questions about the success rate of its vaccine candidate after results of its late-stage study, with further trials now likely.
Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid has urged the public not to be complacent about social distancing and hygiene measures in the wait for a vaccine.
"There is very much a light at the end of the tunnel but we're not there yet," Dr Khorshid told reporters.
"It's really important that we all do the right thing over the summer that's coming so that we don't have a very painful winter if there are any delays to the vaccines."
It comes as pressure continues on the Morrison government to help the more than 36,000 Australians stranded overseas return home.
Mr Hunt said work was underway to double the fortnightly quarantine capacity at the Northern Territory's Howard Springs facility to 1000 people.
The government is pointing the finger at state limits on hotel quarantine capacity for preventing more Australians returning.
"These are real issues affecting real Australians right now and we have a government that maintains complacency," Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese told reporters in Sydney.
Further repatriation flights are planned to depart Europe before Christmas.
Victoria on Friday officially eliminated the virus after four weeks without a new case.
The ACT recorded a rare case, a diplomat in her 60s who returned from overseas earlier in the week.
No cases have yet been recorded from passengers on the repatriation flight from Singapore that landed in Canberra on Thursday.
South Australia didn't record any new cases on Friday, keeping its cluster to 31 cases.
The state has asked the Morrison government to extend the pause on international flights to Adelaide until December 7.
International flights, and along with it the hotel quarantine system, will also begin again in Victoria on that date.
Australian Associated Press
