The Government Is Phasing Out The Controversial AstraZeneca Jab Before The End Of The Year
They say over-60s will likely all be vaccinated by October.
So we know there’ll be little Pfizer available until at least August, and vaccine hesitancy around the AstraZeneca vaccine, but the Government is now saying that most over-60s will somehow have their jabs in the next four months.
They said the embattled AstraZeneca vaccine will no longer be a go-to option come October, and will only be given upon request. The rest of the population will be offered Pfizer and Moderna instead if all goes to plan.
“For all of the people and cohorts where AstraZeneca is preferred, we think they will have received their AstraZeneca before the fourth quarter,” COVID-19 Taskforce Commander, Lieutenant-General John Frewen said on Wednesday.
“For any people who still do require AstraZeneca, we will have allocations available into the fourth quarter, and we fully expect there will be adequate supplies.
Australia plans to shelve astra Zeneca by October? I thought that it was suppose to be an injection.
— Beren Davidson (@bez4481) June 23, 2021
In a new vaccine rollout plan on Wednesday, Frewen announced that a minimum of 1.7 million Pfizer and 430,000 Moderna doses will be handed out countrywide between October and December.
The strategy comes off the back of an emergency Cabinet meeting on Monday to respond to steady criticism over the Government’s handling of the vaccine rollout.
Will Australia then donate the unused AZ doses to developing countries facing a surge in cases with no vaccines in sight ?
— PoliticsJunkie (@fjriwlpq) June 23, 2021
AstraZeneca is currently the recommended brand for over-60s despite a drop in demand over feared blood clot risks.
The Government was slammed for their confusing back-and-forth over AZ: initially prioritising it over other alternatives, lowering and then raising the age of eligibility, before adding fuel to the fire over vaccine hesitancy.
Australia to stop rollout of AstraZeneca vaccine and focus on Pfizer. What a shitty job of a vaccine rollout, absolutely terrible, stupid, unorganised and idiotic. #auspol #LNP #ScottyFromMarketing #STUPID
— Zhang Wei (@ZhangWe37628139) June 23, 2021
Projections show that over July and August, AZ will continue to frontline vaccinations for people older than 60, with an estimated 2.6 million doses administered weekly.
Those who have received one AstraZeneca dose but hold off on the second are “almost wasting the first dose,” the Australian Medical Association recently warned.
Wider eligibility of future ‘state and territory’ allocations for Pfizer and Moderna have not yet been specified, while people in health, aged, and disability care will continue to be prioritised this year.
It’s estimated that just over 13% of the population is vaccinated so far.