Live breaking news: Qld doubles down on controversial advice

Queensland’s chief medical officer has been slammed after doubling down on her AstraZeneca recommendations.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young has been slammed after standing by her comments where she said she would not recommend the AstraZeneca vaccine to an 18-year-old.

The recommendation to limit the use of AstraZeneca in people under 60 was made after a blood clotting disorder called thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) was identified as a rare but serious side effect.

The graph shows the risk of dying from TTS after having the vaccine is 0.5 in one million or one in two million.

Dr Young had previously said she would not recommend the vaccine to people under 60 but added those who wish to receive it should speak to their GP.

“I said I didn't want 18-year-olds to have AstraZeneca. And I still don't,” she said on Monday morning.

There are now 31 active cases of the Delta strain in Queensland.

The comments were slammed as NSW and Victoria encouraged their communities to get the jab and prevent further lockdown.

Australian political columnist Peter Van Onselen branded the comments as “ridiculous” and Sky News journalist Laura Jayes accused Dr Young of freelancing.

If you missed anything during the weekend you can catch up here. Or you can keep up to date with NSW Covid news here.