“This funding is about saving lives and protecting lives,” Hunt said today, adding that developing vaccine research and capability was an important part of containment strategy and flattening the curve.
More than 6.2 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus, with 370,000 deaths.
In the past 24 hours, there were eight new coronavirus cases in Australia.
Five of those new infections were found in the hotel quarantine system.
“What that shows is that our border controls remain absolutely vital to protecting Australia,” Hunt said.
The minister also announced that Australia is expecting to reach 1.5 million coronavirus tests, while 6.175 million Australians now have the government’s COVIDSafe tracing app on their mobile phones.
“Today is a day of hope and confidence – cautious hope and confidence,” he said.
Australia has recorded 7203 cases of coronavirus to date.
Twenty people remain in hospital, with three in intensive care and one on a ventilator.
The national death toll stands at 102.
