'I want to see my family, I've seen how bad Covid can get, I trust the science': Daily Mail Australia staff reveal WHY they chose the AstraZeneca vaccine - as tens of thousands of other Aussies aged under 40 line up to get the jab

While politicians debate how the country can get out of lockdowns and anti-vaxxers wage fear campaigns about AstraZeneca, young Australians are enthusiastically rolling up their sleeves.

When the maligned AstraZeneca vaccine was finally offered to Australians under 40, tens of thousands of those in that age group weighed the risks and benefits and came to the same easy conclusion. 

In July, more than 114,000 doses of AstraZeneca were administered to under 40s. August figures are likely to be far higher. 

With more than 90 per cent of cases of the Delta variant of Covid occurring among unvaccinated people, their decision to take whatever jab is available is proving right. 

In NSW more than 95 per cent of patients being treated for Covid in intensive care units are not vaccinated - and only two deaths have been reported among those who have had two doses of vaccine.

Both were in their 90s, so there are likely other contributing factors including their age.

What is irrefutable is that Covid is now killing young Australians - not vaccination.

Young Daily Mail Australia staff and their families are among those to have looked at the numbers, considered their futures, and made the choice to get AstraZeneca.

Some suffered side effects, but nothing like the devastating health consequences of contracting Covid. All feel they are helping themselves and their fellow Australians. 

None regrets their decision.

These are their stories. They may help you make a similar decision and let Australia rejoin the rest of the world that's fast emerging from the pandemic through vaccination.   

Sarah Fitzmaurice is a healthy 35-year-old who weighed up the minimal risks of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the benefits of getting the jab and found the decision easy

SARAH FITZMAURICE, 35: 

Why I chose AstraZeneca: I called my GP and booked in as soon as Scott Morrison said it was OK for under 40s. Many of my friends and family in the UK - even those who were pregnant or one who'd had a kidney transplant - had received the AZ vaccine with no complications and I felt confident in the science of the vaccine.

I spoke to a GP friend and I weighed up the minimal risks versus the benefits of being vaccinated and given the timelines with the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine for my age group here, and the inability of the state to get ahead of the current Delta outbreak, I knew I wanted to get vaccinated as soon as possible and was happy to get the AZ.

I know lots of people in the UK who have been ill with Covid and my Grandma had a positive diagnosis when she passed away late last year.

After getting my first shot I felt proud to have received a vaccine which was developed in record time and that has been sold on a not-for-profit basis. Whoever has done the PR for the AZ vaccine in Australia has done a terrible job.

I did have some chills the night after the vaccine but the side effects were no worse than after a flu jab. I'll now be fully vaccinated before most people my age have even been offered their first jab of Pfizer. 

As a healthy 35-year-old with no known health issues I feel lucky to have been given the option of a vaccination that is proven in reducing the risk of serious illness and death from Covid-19 and with the Delta strain affecting younger people I don't understand why more people aren't consulting with their GPs to take it.

Joe Sassine was sick of waiting for the Pfizer vaccine when he chose to get jabbed with Astra Zeneca. He tested whether the injection made him magnetic. Despite this picture, it didn't

JOE SASSINE, 34

Why I choose to get the Astrazeneca: I chose to AstraZeneca over Pfizer because I was tired of waiting. Being a 34-year-old male and watching older generations squander their opportunity to get the jab when they were given so many chances for them to do so, I jumped when it opened up to me.

So many of my family members are hesitant to get the jab or just plain refuse to, so I got the AZ as a way of showing them it is safe. We have lost nearly two years of our lives because of this pandemic and many people have lost their lives and livelihoods. If we have any chance of returning to anything that resembles our old life - THIS is the only way forward.

I will admit, I was scared too. The 'what ifs' eating away at me. What if the vaccine was developed to quickly? What if it hasn't been tested enough? What if I DID develop a blood clot? Would I be that six in one million to develop a blood clot? What if I got more adverse side effects? I put those 'what ifs' aside because for me, the reward outweighed the risk.

For the record, I did develop a few side effects: chills and muscle soreness at the jab site. I even had a bit of fun with it and tested whether it made me magnetic.

Despite what the photo above shows, the answer is equivocally and resoundingly no. That's the one thing I was truly disappointed about.

I am set for my second dose next week.

 Cindy Tran did not think twice about rolling up her sleeve to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, comparing it to just like another flu shot 

CINDY TRAN, 31 

Why I chose AstraZeneca: I received my first dose of AZ on July 4, six days after Scott Morrison gave the all clear anyone under the age of 40 could get the vaccine. I didn't think twice about rolling up my sleeves to get AstraZeneca because honestly, I just looked at it like it's another flu shot.

I'm a fit and healthy 31-year-old from Sydney with no underlying health conditions, so it was a very easy decision for me to make. That's not to say I wasn't paranoid about the risks of blood clots. I couldn't help but wonder: 'What if I'm one of the extremely unfortunate 1.6 in 100,000 people?'

But after talking to my doctor, she reassured me the chances were very slim - and as long as I didn't have a history with blood clots or allergic reactions following previous vaccinations, I would be fine. 

How I felt after my vaccine: I felt a wave of relief when I walked out of the medical clinic with a Band Aid on my shoulder. My arm was already sore by the time I arrived back home. Assuming it's just like the flu shot, I thought the pain would wear off by the next day.

Cindy Tran is candid about the headache and fever which followed her vaccination but says that was far preferable than suffering the consequences of contracting Covid-19

Side effects:  I woke up with an excruciating headache, my body was covered in sweat and my arm was tender to touch. However, I started work as usual. But throughout the day, I could feel my condition slowly deteriorating, and my headache was still lingering despite taking four Panadol tablets.

By the time I finished work, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I found myself shivering on my sofa with a doona and an electric blanket over me. I was curled up in a ball, I contemplated whether to call in sick the next day. But about 8.30pm, my side effects vanished. As strange as it sounds, it felt like my body had made a full recovery.

The following morning, I felt perfectly fine to work. I still had tenderness in my arm but it was nothing compared to what I experienced the previous day.

Side effects of the vaccine nothing like Covid: I don't even want to imagine how horrific Covid-19 would be. If this is what it takes to get out of a global pandemic, let alone a lockdown, I'd happily do it all over again. I'd love to go travelling again and see life return to normal. Despite the side effects, I'm already looking forward to my second jab so I can be fully vaccinated. With one shot down, and another to go, I just feel lucky to be protected, safer and more hopeful about our future.

Stephen Johnson says the decision to get AstraZeneca was a 'no-brainer' and his only regret was that he could not get it sooner. He is pictured with his niece

STEPHEN JOHNSON, 41 

Why I chose AstraZeneca: I went to get my first dose of the AstraZeneca jab on June 30, two days after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced doctors who administered the vaccine would be legally indemnified should a patient suffer an adverse reaction.

Out of sheer frustration at the delays in getting a vaccine, I visited my local walk-in clinic GP after work on June 29, the day after that announcement and three days into Sydney’s original Delta strain lockdown.

My GP on Sydney’s North Shore asked if I had any underlying medical issues, to which I replied no. He then asked if I had considered Pfizer. I told him I had tried to book online but there was nothing available in my area, adding I didn't want to queue up in Homebush. Just two days later, it was confirmed a Covid-positive person was in a long line in western Sydney waiting for a Pfizer jab on the same day I had visited my GP.

In NSW more than 95 per cent of patients being treated for Covid in intensive care units are not vaccinated and only one death has been reported among those who have had two doses of vaccine

Even when I arrived early for my 1.30 appointment, to get an AstraZeneca dose, the first question another doctor in the room asked, as the nurse rolled up my sleeve, was whether I had tried getting a Pfizer dose.

In any case, the needle didn't even hurt and after staying back at the GP clinic for 20 minutes of observation, I felt no side effects as a healthy man who exercises daily with long walks. In fact, I had absolutely no side effects at all from the AstraZeneca jab and I'm 41, well below the 60 age threshold recommended by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.

For me, getting vaccinated with AstraZeneca was a prudent decision. I was not prepared to wait until September for Pfizer doses to be available and in the meantime be completely unprotected from the risk of hospitalisation or being contagious. It was a no-brainer. 

My only regret was I couldn't get my shot much earlier. My second shot is on September 22.

Michaela Barklie can't wait for borders to be open. The last time she saw her family in England was in August 2018. She is pictured right on that visit with her sister and niece

MICHAELA BARKLIE, 31 

Why I chose to get AstraZeneca:  I last saw my family when I returned to the UK to surprise my mum for her 60th birthday. Her smile is something that will be etched in my mind for years to come. Today, three years since said goodbye, all I think about is the time we've missed out on. Time, something that can never be replaced. 

My nephew who was a baby when I left has now started school and my niece is going into her last year of primary school.

My first jab was on July 6 and I'm booked in for my second on September 21.

For me, getting vaccinated and getting home to visit was a priority and so when I heard I could get AstraZeneca I called my GP, who took me through the minimal health risks. 

Within a day I had the jab in my arm. It was no fuss, no mess, just one step closer to home.

HENRY TAYLOR, 27 

Why I chose AstraZeneca: The main reason was because I wanted to be vaccinated sooner rather than later and to also do my part for the rest of NSW and Australia. The sooner we are all vaccinated the sooner life can return to some form of 'normal'. The potential side effects of AZ weren't a deterrent - the chance of me suffering from a blood clot was so low I was happy to take the risk. My mother is a nurse who is administering the vaccination across NSW, so I was able to lean on her for advice that's from the doctors she works alongside.

My side effects: The side effects took about 10 hours to set in. I received my vaccination about midday, I started to get a fever about 10pm. This lasted throughout the night, going from hot to cold. I also woke up with a headache, which lingered for about half the day, but after that, I was completely back to normal. The headache was easily dealt with by taking Panadol and the fever was something I just had to ride out.

I'm half way there now - I just need my second dose on August 30. 

Isobel Prince Lawrance has seen the full scale effects of Covid-19 while living in the United States and says the best vaccine is an available vaccine

ISOBEL PRINCE LAWRANCE, 38 

Why I chose AstraZeneca: I wanted the AstraZeneca shot for several reasons. I'd heard a rumour the Pfizer vaccine would be available to people younger than 40 around September. But as far as I can tell this is only a rumour. I'd not heard any official statement from the Australian government confirming September availability of the Pfizer vaccine. And frankly, if I had heard an official statement saying this, I would not have believed it, because of the government's terrible track record with this vaccine.   

I feel like this government has made a few promises that it has not delivered on. I wanted to be proactive in the protection of my health and my family's health. I have two children under three years old and want to eliminate the risk of passing this virus to them.

In 2020 I lived in the USA where I saw coronavirus's effects at full scale. I have seen how bad things can get, and how quickly it happens, despite very tight restrictions. In the city we lived in, one in five people were either sick with Covid or had been in the past. While my family and I thankfully never got sick, we knew several people who did. If there had been a vaccine available while I lived there, I would have jumped at the chance to receive it. 

I think the best vaccine is an available vaccine.

Organising my appointment to get the shot was not simple. I had to make a few phone calls before I found somewhere it was being done. They were inundated with calls, I had to persist until I got through. 

 When I met with the doctor prior to my shot being given, he actually talked me out of getting it. He said the risk of getting complications from Covid was smaller than the risk of complications from the AZ shot, and that it was a better defence to stay home, wear a mask, social distance, and wait for the government to release more Pfizer.

He also said that anyone under 40 needed a really good reason to get the vaccine, and that my reason wasn't good enough, that the government is imploring people to get the AZ shot but they don't really want people under 40 getting it, and that if I really wanted the shot he couldn't stop me. 

I was really disappointed and decided to wait. 

The following week we saw cases increasing in Sydney and decided it was a small risk I was happy to take. So I went back the following week and got my first shot. I had no negative after effects.

I got my first shot on July 22 and am due to get my second on October 21.