More than 130,000 young Aussies received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine last week, marking a huge surge in vaccination rates. You absolutely love to see it.
Between August 9 and August 15, a total of 130,820 people under 40 received their first dose of the AZ vaccine, with 2,928 entering the fully vaxxed league and getting their second jab.
It’s a new weekly record for young people taking up AstraZeneca, almost doubling on the previous week (77,975) and more than tripling the week before that (40,975).
To date, almost 300,000 young people have received an AstraZeneca jab since June 28, when Scott Morrison announced an indemnity on the vaccine for young people, essentially clearing otherwise ineligible young Australians to be vaccinated.
It’s a BEAUTIFUL day to have the AstraZeneca vaccine coursing through my veins, working to protect me and my loved ones from this depraved virus.
I’m feeling strong, back in the driver’s seat of my health, and proud to have chosen AZ for the good my community ❤️💪 pic.twitter.com/EN4ibQIdO9
— Sally Rugg (@sallyrugg) August 15, 2021
“Some of the hesitancy that we all seem to be talking about is perhaps not as real as we thought it was,” Victorian Premier Dan Andrews said last Monday, after the state opened up AstraZeneca bookings for people as young as 18. (More than 15,000 people immediately signed up.)
“I reckon there are millions of Victorians that are keen to get vaccinated and are just waiting for the supply to turn up, as am I.”
It’s a similar story in NSW; data provided by the Department of Health shows almost 194,981 Aussies under 40 had received their first dose of AstraZeneca by 11.59pm on August 12, with 26,480 having received their second dose.
It comes as Australia passes the 15 million mark for total doses administered (AstraZeneca and Pfizer) across the country, with NSW reaching 50% of the population with at least one dose.
It also couldn’t come soon enough: Melbourne’s lockdown has been extended for two more weeks, Canberra’s lockdown has also been extended for two more weeks, and the entirety of NSW is now under lockdown. On Monday, the state recorded 478 new locally acquired cases and seven deaths.
Every state and territory is eyeing off a 70% fully vaccinated population target to officially kick wide-spread lockdowns in the butt for good, and an 80% target to re-open international borders.
Vaccines might not be our only way out of lockdown / this endless mess, but they are a big, important, really fucking huge way. If you haven’t gotten a vaccine yet but are eligible: what are you waiting for? Let us make things really easy with our comprehensive guide to getting vaxxed.
And if you have questions about the AstraZeneca vaccine specifically? Here’s answers to 23 of your most common / deeply specific ones.
