The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia’s medical regulator, gave a green light to Pfizer/ BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in the country on Monday.

Pfizer’s vaccine met safety, efficacy and quality standards and has been approved for people aged 16 and older, the TGA said.

Responding to the vaccine authorization, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, ‘Today's approval is another big step forward for our community, particularly in the protection of our most vulnerable people.”

Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt said that the TGA had "placed safety above all else" during the approval process.

"This approval and the upcoming rollout of the vaccine will play an important part in our ability to manage the pandemic in 2021," he added.