8/7/2021- 10:01 p.m.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VACCINE IN AUSTRALI ON AUGUST 7Percentage of the population over 16 years of age that has had the first or second shot.
- AUSTRALIA first dose 43.60second dose 21.95ACT first dose 50.44second dose 25.64NSW first dose 45.46second dose 22.29NT first dose 44.16second dose 26.83QLD first dose 39.35second dose 21.12SA first dose 43.37second dose 21.83BAG first dose 50.48second dose 27.20VIC first dose 44.01second dose 21.87WA first dose 39.22second dose 18.97Despite the increasing acceptance of vaccines across the country, young Australians claim they are still receiving mixed messages about the AstraZeneca vaccine from their GPs.
Sydney man Toby Hemmings, who received his first dose, said his path to vaccination was frustrated.“My regular GP told me that AZ was a second-rate vaccine and that the situation was not so dire that I needed an injection,” he said.
The conversation ended with the advice that Mr. Hemmings wait for Pfizer.Instead, he sought a second opinion and booked an appointment online with a doctor he hadn’t consulted before, who gave him the shot he wanted on Thursday.
“I respect my GP’s opinion, but I’ve done the risk assessment and getting vaccinated is more important than waiting for the perfect vaccine,” says Mr Hemmings.
Melbourne woman Jeanette Wong also asked her GP for more information about AstraZeneca at the end of July.
“I’ve done my own research, but you want to talk to a medical professional,” she said.“Immediately he was like, ‘No, you’re in your 30s, you’re healthy, just wait for Pfizer.’
“He just didn’t want to talk about it objectively at all. He started to scare me and said ‘people take the AZ and get paralyzed’.’
Another clinic she inquired with would not accept her because she is Singaporean and has no Medicare coverage, leaving her unvaccinated for the time being as her city faces a sixth lockdown from the pandemic.
About 340,000 Australians under 50 have had at least one dose of AstraZeneca, compared to 2.4 million with Pfizer.
They are among the five million people who have received AstraZeneca – most of whom are over the age of 60.
The Australian vaccine expert panel, ATAGI, says AstraZeneca is ‘highly effective’ in preventing serious illness and death in all ages from Covid-19.
One million doses of the Moderna shot will arrive in Australia within weeks as a welcome boost to the country’s rollout of the vaccine.
Australians will be able to roll up their sleeves and get their first dose as early as September.
Moderna has yet to be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, but is expected to receive the green light within two weeks, paving the way for a smooth rollout of the new vaccine.
Australia will receive one million doses in September, and another three million per month in October, November and December.
