Discussion continues over incentives to get as many Australians as possible immunised when a coronavirus vaccine does eventually becomes available.

The government can’t make the vaccine compulsory but it can introduce measures to encourage people to get it. So that could potentially include things such as restricting people from dining out or travelling domestically.

Prime Minister yesterday walked back suggestions vaccinations would be compulsory after earlier confusion.

The government wants to see an up take of 95 per cent but according to a Todayshow.com.au poll  – with over 80,000 votes – only 70 per cent plan on getting it.

The CSIRO’s Health director Dr Rob Grenfell explained why the Australian government has secured a vaccine that has not been fully developed.

“We still don’t have a valid vaccine because we’re in phase three trials. Phase three trials are testing whether the vaccine works, how well it works and what the side effect profile is and then we step to making for the general population,” he said.

“It is important anything we produce is safe and does what it is supposed to do.”

Dr Grenfell said despite there being a range of vaccines still in early stages of development, ensuring Australians have access to a vaccine early is an important step.

“There are obviously hundreds of others that are moving through the research pipeline and that’s a good thing,” he said.

“But if it makes the step in to success we need to be there to actually grab it as soon as we can.”