Late on Monday night, Prime Minister Scott Morrison suddenly announced that anyone under 40 who wants the AstraZeneca vaccine can get it – so long as they sign an indemnity form beforehand.
It’s a huge shake-up of the vaccine rollout because, until now, the locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccine had been recommended for people over 60, while young people were supposed to wait for the imported Pfizer vaccine.
But seeing as four cities (Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Darwin) are back in lockdown, it seems the government finally decided to get off its ass and start vaccinating people.
“And so if you wish to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, then we would encourage you to go and have that discussion with your GP and we’ve already made announcements to support those additional consultations with GPs so you can have that conversation,” Morrison told reporters on Monday night.
When pressed by journalists if this same process would apply to people under 40, Morrison replied: “They can do so.”
Now young Aussies are frantically ringing up their GPs to ask when they can get that jab they so dearly crave. However, as with everything in Australia’s chaotic vaccine rollout, it’s not going super smoothly.
It would’ve been nice if, you know, the government actually explained exactly how this new scheme worked before just winging it on live TV last night.
That’s why we’ve done some digging to bring your everything we know so far about how to get the AstraZeneca jab as a young Aussie.
How can I get the AstraZeneca jab?
If you have a regular GP, contact your clinic and ask if it’s possible.
Otherwise… nobody really knows what to do. The government didn’t elaborate and the peak body representing GPs was completely blindsided by the announcement, as was the Australian Medical Association.
So if you ring up and your local clinic can’t help you, you might just have to wait until the government shorts shit out.
Just booked myself an AstraZeneca vaccine appointment at midday today in Canberra!!!! I called a local GP clinic taking part in the rollout, they had heaps and heaps of available appointments and were happy to sign me up for quick consult and the jab ????????????
— Clare Armstrong (@ByClare) June 28, 2021
Wait, so even doctors don’t know what’s going on?
Unfortunately, that’s exactly right.
“GPs really got this news the way everyone else did through the media, and they’ve woken up to their vaccine clinics and patients calling them off the hook asking if they can get the vaccine,” a spokesperson from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners told PEDESTRIAN.TV on Tuesday morning.
“We’ve been hearing that a lot of patients have been calling their GPs, but their GPs are not confident enough to book in appointments for them just yet.”
However other groups are saying their advice hasn’t changed after the surprise announcement.
Australian Medical Association President Dr Omar Khorshid told The Guardian that, for now, his organisation is still recommending that people follow the ATAGI advice which says Pfizer is the preferred vaccine for people under 60.
Meanwhile, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young literally came out today and said: “There are some people asking to get AstraZeneca although the clinical advice is they preferentially should not”.
This comes despite the fact Morrison claims to have discussed it at the national cabinet – which comprises of all the state premiers and territory leaders – immediately before his announcement last night. What a mess.
Just called my GP to make an appointment to get the AZ vaccine. Receptionist said it was the first she had heard that anyone could now get the AZ. Said they hadn’t received any official notification yet advising of the change. She’s going to get some advice then call me back.
— Shane Bazzi (@shanebazzi) June 28, 2021
Alright, well hypothetically what can we expect?
From the sounds of it, your local doctor (i.e. your GP) will be able to give you the AstraZeneca vaccine if you have a consultation and they determine that there’s no increased risk.
You’ll be asked to sign some kind of indemnity form and then – hopefully – you’re good to go.
That being said… good luck booking an appointment? Assuming you even have a regular GP who is happy to administer the shot, it appears that available slots are quickly being booked out by so many young Aussies rightfully craving that jab.
People who get the Pfizer shot don’t need to sign any forms and the process is actually quite painless, but most young people still aren’t eligible and the rollout is currently progressing at a snail’s pace because those particular vaccines have to be imported from overseas.
????Called GP this morning
????Booked for lunchtime today
????Quick consult with doc
????Jab done 3 hours after first call
????Get amongst it fellow 30-somethings #AstraZeneca— nathan stitt (@nathanjstitt) June 29, 2021
Is the AstraZeneca vaccine safe?
Yes!
The only reason why young people were originally discouraged from getting the AstraZeneca as because of an extremely slim chance of developing blood clots. The latest Australian data shows that around three in every 100,000 people aged 50 or under develop thrombosis and/or thrombocytopenia syndrome after receiving the AstraZeneca shot. These odds are still way slimmer than more mainstream medication like the pill, for example.
Health authorities, in an abundance of caution, previously reckoned that the benefits outweighed the extremely slight risk for older people, but not for young people. Obviously, now that cases are cropping up again, any vaccine is better than no vaccine, and AstraZeneca is still very effective.
Nevertheless, you should always consult your doctor for actual medical advice before going ahead, and that’s exactly the kind of common-sense consultation this new scheme is set to make compulsory.
Off to bathe in AstraZeneca
— Benjamin Law | 羅旭能 (@mrbenjaminlaw) June 28, 2021
What about Pfizer?
Some young Aussies are already eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, too.
If you’re an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person over 16 years old, you can get vaccinated right now. The same applies for anyone in the Northern Territory.
On top of the usual professional reasons, young people who are volunteers in organisations like the SES or Surf Lifesavers might also be eligible to get the Pfizer jab depending on their state’s regulations.
But really, if you can get AstraZeneca now, do it. It’ll be worth it for everyone’s sake.
The post Here’s How To Get The AstraZeneca Vaccine If You’re Under 40, Now That It’s Finally Available appeared first on Pedestrian TV.
