Young drive massive push for AstraZeneca jabs

Thousands of under-40s in NSW are jumping at the chance to get vaccinated with AstraZeneca, as worrying new data reveals Sydney’s second Covid wave is mainly hitting younger ­people.

Younger Sydneysiders are answering Australia’s call to arms and getting the AstraZeneca vaccine in record numbers, with more than 12,000 under-40s in NSW receiving the jab this week in the four days from Sunday to Wednesday alone.

According to figures seen by this newspaper, the momentum is increasing, with 4839 of those jabs being administered on Wednesday alone — the same day the nation delivered a ­record 201,470 vaccine doses.

David White, 28, and his partner Adelaide Bracey, 25, have signed up to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Picture: David Swift

If the trends continue, it will mean that more than 20 per cent of the state’s daily jabs will have gone to under-40s heeding the calls by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Premier Gladys Berejiklian to seek health advice from their GP and get vaccinated.

The news comes as worrying new data revealed that Sydney’s second Covid wave is mainly hitting younger ­people. Sixty-five per cent of cases recorded in the past week were in people under 40.

“We have to also remember that the communities of southwestern and western Sydney are also particularly young,” Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said.

Young people are being hospitalised with Covid-19, including two teenagers currently in intensive care, as well as eight ICU patients in their 20s, and four in their 30s.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant says Sydney’s second Covid wave is mainly hitting younger ­people. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

The age group with the most infections in the past week were 30 to 39-year-olds – representing 227 cases.

Experts say the numbers show that younger Australians are keen to do what they can to protect themselves and help get the country out of the ­pandemic.

Edgecliff resident Adelaide Bracey, 26, has booked in to get her first jab because she “just wants to do the right thing”.

“I want Australia to open up again and I want to protect my family and my friends,” she said.

Professor Lyndal Trevena, of the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, applauded the positive approach by younger jab recipients.

“Until recently there was some pent-up demand because younger people weren’t eligible, but we have also hit that tipping point where the risks of the disease are seen to outweigh the very small risks of the vaccine.”

Provocate managing director Troy Bilsborough said the news about the uptake was positive because the NSW lockdown proved Australia’s economy — and the Morrison government’s political fortunes — could not afford for people to wait for Pfizer later in the year.

The news comes as national cabinet prepares to meet on Friday to discuss modelling to guide the nation’s reopening plan, which will be based on hitting as-yet undetermined vaccination thresholds.

Lieutenant-General John Frewen, co-ordina­tor general of the govern­ment’s Operation Covid Shield, said “the momentum is building” behind the vaccine program.

“We need to learn to live with this virus and vaccination is the way we do that,” he said.

“We don’t give in to Covid. We remain strong and determined to get back freedom.”

Originally published as Young drive massive push for AstraZeneca jabs