Calls for over 60s to get the AstraZeneca vaccine now or they will end up waiting months before getting a jab into their arms
Australians over 60 will be urged to get jabbed with AstraZeneca as soon as possible or wait until Christmas for an alternative vaccine such as Pfizer.
In a letter being sent to 586,713 unvaccinated people aged between 60 and 69 by the Federal government, the group are warned that 'people over 60 have a greatly increased risk of getting severe disease with Covid-19 and must be vaccinated as soon as possible'.
Over 60s are urged to get the AstraZeneca now or wait until Christmas to access an alternative vaccine
While millions more Pfizer doses are due to arrive in Australia in October, as well as the Moderna vaccine, these will be prioritised for the 9.8million Australians aged between 12 and 39.
Pfizer doses are expected to nearly double for 4.8million to 9million in October but there are also three million doses of the locally produced AstraZeneca waiting to be administered.
AstraZeneca is the preferred vaccine for the 60-69 age group.
Over 60s are warned they will otherwise be at the back of the queue for the Pfizer vaccine, potentially delaying Australia's efforts to end lockdowns and lift restrictions once 70 and 80 percent of the population is vaccinated.
The carrot for over 60s is the chance of being reunited with children and grandchildren by Christmas time.
'If you get 95 per cent of the over 60s and 65 per cent of the younger population , that will get you to the 80 per cent quicker,' University of Melbourne epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely told News Corp Australia.
More than 80 per cent of those over 60 have already had a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Reducing the gap between the first and second doses of Astra Zeneca from 12 weeks to just four weeks has also been suggested to help accelerate Australia's number of double-dosed recipients.
New doses of Pfizer arriving in Australia in October will be prioritised for the 12-39-year-old group to lift Australia's vaccination rate
Over 60s will be at the back of the queue if they wait for Pfizer and other vaccines, potentially affecting Australia's effort to reach 80 percent of the population fully vaccinated.
'The recent outbreaks of the infectious Delta COVID-19 strain means it’s even more important that Australians over 60 get vaccinated right now,' Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
'AstraZeneca has been proven to be as effective as any COVID-19 vaccine and we have already administered almost 10 million doses in Australia.'
Hesitancy among older people about the AstraZeneca is linked to a number of reports of people experiencing clotting after receiving the vaccine.
The Federal Department of Health website states that AstraZeneca has been linked to 'a very rare but serious side effect called thrombosis in combination with thrombocytopenia'.
'There is a very low chance of this side effect, which may occur in around 4-6 people in every million after being vaccinated.'
As of yesterday, 59.6 percent of people over the age of 16 have had at least one vaccine dose in Australia, while 35.7 percent are now fully vaccinated.