AstraZeneca vaccine for Australians under 40 a way out

It’s not surprising many young Australians like me have decided the very low risk from the AstraZeneca vaccine was worth it.

Stepping out of the GP clinic 15 minutes after having my first AstraZeneca jab I finally felt truly safe for the first time in more than a year.

Even as I walked around pondering my one in about 33,000 chance of getting a non-fatal blood clot, or less the one in a million chance of dying, I felt nothing but relief.

Until the moment an incredibly complex piece of protein started teaching my body how to fight Covid-19, I hadn’t fully appreciated just how large the spectre of the deadly virus had loomed over my life.

The Daily Telegraph’s political reporter Clare Armstrong, 28, received the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday.

I would jump at the sound of a sneeze, feel anxious in crowds and have resisted making any real plans for fear they will be cancelled anyway.

All this, even though as a 28-year-old with no underlying health conditions, I have a very low chance of falling seriously ill or dying from Covid-19.

Booking an AstraZeneca vaccine was an easy choice for me, partly because I am lucky to have no family history of issues that might cause clots, but also because it brought benefits I believe outweighed the risk.

In the wake of the changes, several top medics theorised they did not expect many young Australians to take up the AstraZeneca option, but I think they’ve severely underestimated the pent up demand for a way out of this pandemic by any means.

It’s younger people who have borne the economic brunt of restrictions and lockdowns, who have had crucial moments in their lives - from weddings, to graduations and travel abroad - derailed, and I believe it’s younger people who will pull the country out of our ‘Fortress Australia’ malaise.

I wouldn’t be a true Millenial if I hadn’t instantly posted about booking my first dose appointment on social media.

In doing so I was inundated with messages from friends, colleagues and even strangers asking where they too could join the queue and get a vaccine.

My local GP seemed rather perplexed at my extreme enthusiasm about gaining access to the vaccine - perhaps his generation just can’t grasp how urgently mine wants to put this pandemic behind us.

When leaders tell us we can’t have conversations about reopening without more vaccinations, the only thing I can control in that scenario, is to get vaccinated.