This is why there is a reluctance, nanna8 and I have been hearing about this for some time:
The president of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Omar Khorshid, says he does not endorse the prime minister’s announcement that anyone under 40 can receive the AstraZeneca vaccine from their GP, adding it took him by surprise.
The advice from the independent Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation – that Pfizer is the preferred vaccine for under-60s due to an increased risk of rare clotting events linked to the AstraZeneca jab – is unchanged.
“It took us by surprise, and it’s hard to know how to take that announcement because I think it’s going to be a limited number of people to take it up, given that they would be going against the expert Atagi recommendation,” Khorshid told Guardian Australia on Tuesday.
“Our recommendation is still really for patients to follow the Atagi advice. Be patient and have the Atagi-recommended vaccine when it’s available. I am certainly still backing the expert advice at this stage.”
Atagi comprises independent infectious diseases physicians, microbiologists, epidemiologists, public health nurses, GPs and consumer representatives. Its advice states there is “a higher risk and observed severity of thrombosis [clotting] and thrombocytopenia [low platelet count] syndrome related to the use of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine observed in Australia in the 50-59 year old age group than reported internationally and initially estimated in Australia”.
Guardian Australia
Many Australians are waiting for alternative vaccines to become available.