Awkward moment Karl Stefanovic says his sister 'might be one of the people who doesn't take the coronavirus jab' when it arrives in Australia
Karl Stefanovic has suggested on live television that his sister Elisa Stefanovic may be a vaccine sceptic.
'Absolutely, Karl. Who wouldn't?' she replied.
Referring to his older sibling, the host said under his breath: 'I think my sister might be one of the people who doesn't.'
The Today show host asked Stella magazine's Sarrah Le Marquand on Tuesday morning whether she would take a coronavirus vaccine if it arrived in Australia
Labor MP Bill Shorten was also being interviewed on the program about a potential vaccine and said: 'Oh no.'
Stefanovic laughed: 'What can you do? Family.'
Mr Shorten tried to shrug it off by asking whether the 49-year-old's sister also receives government payments.
Unable to keep a straight face, Stefanovic replied: 'I think we should climb into the stuff my sister doesn't do.
'Who loves family, hey? Put your hands up,' he said, adding that he doubts Elisa watches the Today show.
The Today show host suggested his sister, Elisa (second from left) would not take a coronavirus vaccine. Pictured: Stefanovic siblings, left to right: Tom, Elisa, Peter and Karl
Stefanovic said 'I think we should climb into the stuff my sister doesn't do' when Bill Shorten asked if she received government payments. Pictured: The Stefanovic siblings with their mother, Jenny
The exchanges came as the Australian government welcomed news that a COVID-19 vaccine it signed up for is 90 per cent effective, based on early test results.
The federal government ordered 10 million doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, which has exceeded the US manufacturer's expectations and has been hailed as a game changer.
The pandemic has claimed more than 1.2 million lives worldwide, including more than 900 Australians.
Former opposition leader Bill Shorten welcomed the news.
'I think if we want to see international travel again at a serious level, I think the vaccine is important,' he told Today.
Pfizer, which developed the vaccine with German drugmaker BioNTech, are the first to release successful data from an interim analysis of a large-scale clinical trial
'Australia's done well. Eventually we'd like to see international visitors come here and us travel overseas.
'I think the vaccine is an important missing link. I'm not going to put down the binoculars and say the race is over yet.'
Pfizer is on track to apply later this month for emergency-use approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
'We´re in a position potentially to be able to offer some hope,' Dr Bill Gruber, Pfizer´s senior vice president of clinical development told The Associated Press.
'We´re very encouraged.'