Under-40s may be eligible for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines by September
Australians under the age of 40 may only have to wait two more months before they can get either a Pfizer or Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
Australians under the age of 40 can expect to be able to get either a Pfizer or Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in two to three months.
Head of the COVID-19 vaccine taskforce, Lieutenant General John Frewen, said the two mRNA jabs should become available to younger Aussies by “September or October”, saying they may even be able to choose which one they want.
“When we have adequate supplies, I think that’s a logical step,” he told the ABC’s News Breakfast on Tuesday.
“It’ll be a matter for government for when we open up those cohorts, but September, October, I’m confident we’ll have a greater range of choice around vaccines.”
RELATED: Aged care worker refuses to get vaccine
RELATED: Vaccine rollout like ‘Hunger Games’
Lieutenant General Frewen said that estimate was based on the “current supply forecasts”.
Currently, the majority of Australians under 40 are not yet eligible for Pfizer, though they have the option of getting the AstraZeneca jab after speaking with their GP.
The current advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) only recommends AstraZeneca for over 60s, saying Pfizer is the preferred vaccine for anyone under this age.
However, last week Prime Minister Scott Morrison said national cabinet had agreed to a new no-fault indemnity scheme for GPs to give the AstraZeneca vaccine to Australians under the age of 60, who are willing to accept the extremely rare blood clot risk.
“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 the GPS so you can have that conversation,” he said.
Lieutenant General Frewen said since then almost 8000 people under 40 have chosen to get the AstraZeneca vaccine now rather than wait.
RELATED: ‘Truth’ anti-vaxxers can’t ignore
“We’re seeing demand right now in that group of people to take AstraZeneca now rather than wait for an alternate later in the year,” he said.
Last week’s announcement by Mr Morrison didn’t go over too well with some state leaders, with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk claiming there had been no national cabinet agreement.
Ms Palaszczuk said it went directly against the advice of chief health officer Jeannette Young, the ATAGI.
“In Queensland, we always follow the advice of the chief health officer,” she said.
“So, I urge Queenslanders to listen to Dr Young and follow the advice of our chief health officer.”
Dr Young said she did not want anyone under 40 to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“They are at increased risk of getting the rare clotting syndrome. We‘ve seen up to 49 deaths in the UK from that syndrome,” she said.
“I don‘t want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got Covid, probably wouldn’t die.
“We’ve had very few deaths due to Covid-19 in Australia in people under the age of 50, and wouldn’t it be terrible that our first 18-year-old in Queensland who dies related to this pandemic died because of the vaccine?”
In Western Australia, Premier Mark McGowan said he had been advised those under 40s should not get the jab.
“The health advice from the chief health officer, indeed the national health advice from the Australian Technical Group on Immunisation, otherwise known as ATAGI is that that shouldn’t happen,” he said.
“Clearly, we get different advice, I suppose, or have a different approach.”