The head of the Commonwealth's expert vaccine panel has poured cold water on suggestions Australians under the age of 40 should be trying to get the AstraZeneca vaccine.
A political brawl erupted in the aftermath of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's late-night announcement on Monday that younger Australians could consult their GPs about the shot, even if they were not yet eligible to get a vaccine.
In an interview with the ABC's AM program, the co-chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), associate professor Christopher Blyth, said it should only be considered in "pressing" circumstances.
"The ATAGI advice is that Pfizer is our preference for those under the age of 60 years."
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and the state's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young led the revolt by some states and territories against Mr Morrison's announcement on Wednesday.
Dr Young argued she did not want to see any "18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got COVID, probably wouldn't die".
The preference for the Pfizer vaccine to be given to Australians under the age of 60 followed the AstraZeneca shot being linked to a small number of rare blood clotting cases.
WA Premier Mark McGowan said on Wednesday that Mr Morrison's decision appeared at odds with the official health advice, while ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr described the announcement as a "captain's call" by the Prime Minister, despite it coming immediately after an emergency National Cabinet meeting.
Ms Palaszczuk, Mr McGowan and Mr Barr are all Labor leaders, but the Liberal premiers of New South Wales and South Australia, Gladys Berejiklian and Steven Marshall, struck a more conciliatory tone, stating it was up to individuals to consult with their GP.
The federal government has hit back at suggestions the Prime Minister's post-National Cabinet remarks have fuelled confusion across the country, arguing younger Australians have always had the opportunity to get the AstraZeneca vaccine.
But that is only true for those in priority groups, such as frontline health workers and people with underlying medical conditions, and where the risk presented from a COVID-19 infection is greater than the threat of any adverse health effects.
Mr Morrison said people willing to provide informed consent — in other words, those who had had the risks explained to them but were prepared to agree to the shot anyway — could do so.
Monday's announcement was made at the same time an indemnity scheme, protecting GPs from any liability, was finalised.
'These are always tricky decisions'
Dr Blyth refused to be drawn on whether he was frustrated with how the public messaging and ensuing political battle had developed.
"I'm not going to focus on the politics of this," he told AM.
"Our role is to give health advice to government, and that's what we're going to focus on."
Dr Blyth, who has been a member of ATAGI since 2009, was questioned about whether the risks associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine were overblown considering other common pharmaceuticals carry an even greater chance of blood clotting.
"Importantly, that is what people have to do every day — some people may choose to take that risk, other people may elect not to and wait for an alternative product," he said.
The decision to allow Australians under the age of 40 to elect to get the AstraZeneca vaccine has been welcomed by some members of the community, who feared they would have to wait many more months before getting access to a vaccine.
AstraZeneca is produced in Australia, with hundreds of thousands of doses rolling off the production line at Melbourne's CSL plant each week.
Supplies of Pfizer remain tight, given all doses need to be imported from overseas.
