The public commentary and advice around young people getting COVID vaccinations has been nothing short of an absolute shit show, and the chaos gets quadrupled when it’s about AstraZeneca specifically.
In case you missed it, Scott Morrison opened up accessibility to the AstraZeneca vaccine (in what some suspect was an accident) to anyone over the age of 18 in a presser late Monday night.
It turns out this was news to basically fkn everyone, with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and the state’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young letting loose at Scott Morrison in a heated presser on Wednesday morning.
QLD Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk gives the strongest rebuke yet to PM’s suggestion under 40s can ask GPs for AstraZeneca following indemnity changes. “There’s been no national cabinet decision. I’d like to ask the PM, did his cabinet make the decision?” #Auspol #Qldpol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/zByO4Ikym2
— Naveen Razik (@naveenjrazik) June 30, 2021
“No, I do not want under 40s to get AstraZeneca,” Palaszczuk said.
“Because they are at increased risk of getting – it is rare, but they are at increased risk of getting the rare clotting syndrome.”
“So I’d like to ask the Prime Minister: did his cabinet make that decision?”
Woof. It seems that everywhere we look, politicians are slinging mud at each other like fucking chimps at a zoo, and no one knows what the fuck is going on.
But despite all the drama, I have some good news for you – a bunch of medical experts, including TikTok fave Dr Karl, have come forward encouraging young Aussies to get vaccinated.
Dr Karl, our science TikTok king who has over 200k followers, spoke on a podcast discussing the AstraZeneca vaccine, where he basically had zero patience for fucking around and told young people they should get the jab.
@drkarlChlorophyll water – fact or cap? ##drkarl ##drkarlkruszelnicki ##tiktokaustralia ##science ##chlorophyllwater♬ original sound – Dr Karl
“We need to get vaccinated as quickly as possible,” he told the Halfternoons with Those Two Girls Lise & Sarah podcast.
“Basically, you’re in a lottery – you’re going to get infected sooner or later, so your odds are much better if you get vaccinated.”
“If you get infected with the COVID-19 virus, out of every million people who get infected, 40 will get clotting. That’s just from the virus… But with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the odds go from 40 out of a million, to one. The odds are 40x better if you take the AstraZeneca vaccine than if you don’t.”
Dr. Karl is known for his TikTok and the fact that Gen Z fkn love him, so his support of getting the jab is kind of a big deal. And he’s not the only medical expert to defend the AstraZeneca vaccine, either.
The Australian Science Media Centre reached out to a bunch of medical experts, asking topical questions about the AstraZeneca vaccine – and specifically, what they think of Under 40s being allowed to get the jab. And lo and behold, they all reckon Under 40s getting the jab is actually a good thing.
Professor Cassandra Berry, who is a professor in Viral at Murdoch University in Perth, urged people to get vaccination as soon as possible.
“The risk of an adverse side effect of blood clotting is about 100-times higher with COVID-19 than the normal population, not exposed to the virus. As only five per cent of Australians are fully vaccinated we are in a precarious position. The highly transmissible Delta variant imposes a greater danger than ever before during the pandemic,” she said.
“All people in Australia with accessibility to the current approved AZ COVID-19 vaccines should consider vaccination at their earliest convenience. We do not have the luxury of waiting too long for imported Pifzer, Moderna or Novavax vaccine supplies to arrive.”
Another expert, Professor Adrian Esterman who is the Chair of Biostatistics at the University of South Australia, also agreed that young people should get the jab.
“Given the current situation in Australia with multiple outbreaks of the Delta variant, the answer is yes – however, there has to be informed consent about the risks.”
Professor Fiona Russel, who is Director of Child and Adolescent Health PhD Program in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne, as well as group leader for the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, reckons that as long as there’s informed consent, anyone should be able to get the vaccine.
She said that the AstraZeneca vaccine is “highly effective” and that “any adult should be able to get access to this potentially life-saving vaccine provided informed consent is given on risks and benefits.”
💉Called GP this morning
💉Booked for lunchtime today
💉Quick consult with doc
💉Jab done 3 hours after first call
💉Get amongst it fellow 30-somethings #AstraZeneca— nathan stitt (@nathanjstitt) June 29, 2021
Professor Jill Carr, a virologist with the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University, said that the benefits outweigh the risk when it comes to getting the AstraZeneca vaccine – and that the public health recommendations (which still staunchly disagree that Under 40s should get the jab) should adjust their position in regards to that.
“This is a changing situation for risk:benefit and hence I would expect our public health recommendations to continue to change and reflect that. If we get lots of COVID-19 cases in the community, then any of the vaccine candidates, that all have great efficacy, would be of benefit to prevent COVID-19 related death and overwhelming of our hospital systems.”
Well there ya have it folks – I know there’s a lot of concern and hesitancy around the AstraZeneca vaccine, and that’s totally fair considering the way our Government has been handling it – but a bunch of esteemed experts reckon it’s our best chance of defeating this pandemic, and that means more to me than what Gladys or anyone in Parliament thinks, tbh.
