Coronavirus Australia: Pfizer for under-60s ‘our guiding light’: Hunt; Top doctor takes aim at PM

Health Minister Greg Hunt says there has been no change to vaccine advice after Palaszczuk government accused the PM of putting young lives at risk.

Health Minister Greg Hunt. Picture: Getty Images

Health Minister Greg Hunt says medical advice that Pfizer remains the preferred vaccine for under 60s, and AstraZeneca for over 60s continues to be the “guiding light”, as the Morrison government backs away from the decision to open up AstraZeneca to the wider population.

Confusion has reigned since Scott Morrison announced AstraZeneca would be available to younger people subject to a discussion with their GP, with peak medical bodies claiming they weren’t consulted prior to the announcement.

After days of mixed messaging, Mr Hunt clarified the government’s position, deferring to the health advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, as he claimed the only change to the medical advice has been the medical indemnity offered to doctors.

He reiterated that Pfizer remained the preferred vaccine for everyone under 60, and AstraZeneca for over 60-year-olds.

“No change in that medical advice. That has been and continues to be the case. It continues to be the guiding light,” Mr Hunt told a press conference on Wednesday.

While he said he “would never step between a patient and a doctor”, he said the medical advice remained “very clear” that the preference for under 60-year-olds was to receive Pfizer.

Top doctor takes aim at PM as Qld unleashes on vaccine

Australia’s chief health officers are preparing to stage a revolt against the Prime Minister’s push for young people to front up for the AstraZeneca jab.

Queensland’s Dr Jeannette Young, Australia’s longest serving chief health officer, has taken direct aim at Mr Morrison’s push for young people to ask their GPs about receiving the AstraZeneca jab, associated with a rare clotting disorder.

“I do not want under-40s to get AstraZeneca,” she said. “We are not in a position that I need to ask young, fit, healthy people to put their health on the line by getting a vaccine that could potentially significantly harm them.

“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 to who dies related to this pandemic died because of the vaccine?”

Dr Young said the opinion was held by other chief health officers who were following advice from ATAGI.

“Well, I haven’t been able to talk to (Mr Morrison) and to understand his thought processes,” she said.

“I know an urgent meeting has been called by the Commonwealth today with chief health officers to talk this through, so I’m sure I will find out more,” she said.

NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant was hesitant to say whether she supported under 40s getting AstraZeneca but said she was “very committed to following the ATAGI advice”.

The Australian Medical Association is advising patients aged under 60 to follow the advice of the nation’s top immunisation experts, which is that Pfizer is the recommended vaccine for people under the age of 60.

After an emergency meeting of state and territory leaders on Monday night, Mr Morrison said health advice did not preclude people aged under 60 from asking for AstraZeneca.

“And so 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 GPs so you can have that conversation,” he said.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

AMA president Omar Khorshid confirmed under 60s could ask for AstraZeneca if they are willing to accept the risks but he expected GPSs would generally recommend patients follow the ATAGI advice.

Queensland’s Deputy Premier Steven Miles accused the Commonwealth of overriding vaccine health advice to get rid of extra stocks of AstraZeneca.

“For the prime minister to attempt to overrule the medical advice and provide a vaccine that is not recommended for people under 60 puts Queenslanders at risk,” e said.

“There are some discussions that the commonwealth may even provide their own vaccination hubs so they can get AstraZeneca vaccine out to younger people despite that vaccine not being recommended and that would be very risky.

“I‘m concerned about reports that GPs were inundated yesterday with requests from younger people asking to get a vaccine that is not recommended for them and that their general practitioners are unlikely to provide to them.”

Both state and federal leaders have said high vaccination rates were essential before international travel could resume.

‘We’ll run out of Pfizer on July 5’

It came as Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath warned that Queensland will run out of Pfizer vaccine in eight days unless the federal government increases supply, otherwise second dose inoculation will be given priority.

Ms D’Ath said she had written to Lieutenant General John Frewen, who coordinates the distribution of vaccines, requesting more than 152,000 additional doses, “so an extra 113 trays” to cope with the increased demand for Pfizer inoculations.

The increase follows the outbreak of the more contagious Delta variant across Queensland with parts of the state bin a three-day lockdown.

However, Ms D’Ath said her plea fell on deaf ears with Queensland only to receive its allotted 64,000 weekly Pfizer doses and that will result in fewer first dose Pfizer inoculations.

“The reason we gave is that we are at a critical levels and some of our sites, we have projected to run out of Pfizer by … the fifth of July, next Monday at some of our sites,” Ms D’Ath said.

“One of those sites being Sunshine Coast University. We said additional vaccine supply is critical to avoiding cancellations of already committed appointments, and to ensure that we can continue to prioritise areas of high risk.

“We got a response this morning from the Lieutenant General. We‘ve been advised that we will not be provided additional vaccines.”

She said Victoria, when it was in lockdown, was granted an extra 100,000 vaccines.

“We weren‘t offered less than what we asked for. We have been denied any extra” Ms D’Ath said.

“We are getting to that point where we will have to prioritise only second doses.”

‘We will not ignore health advice’

The Queensland Premier said under 40s should be offered alternatives to the AstraZeneca due to a link with rare blood clots, adding that they would not be offered AstraZeneca at state run hubs in Queensland.

BREAKING: Queensland CHO Jeannette Young wants no under 40s to get AZ vaccine because of blood clot risk. Says all states CHOs are in agreement. @newscomauHQpic.twitter.com/D5p5aUAN5L

— Rohan Smith (@Ro_Smith) June 30, 2021

“The Queensland government will only provide to people the vaccine that is medically recommended for them,” she said. “We will not ignore the health advice.

“For the prime minister to attempt to overrule the medical advice and provide a vaccine that is not recommended for people under 60 puts Queenslanders at risk.

“There are some discussion that the Commonwealth may even provide their own vaccination hubs so they can get AstraZeneca vaccine out to younger people despite that vaccine not being recommended and that would be very risky”.

After an emergency meeting of state and territory leaders on Monday night, Mr Morrison said health advice did not preclude people aged under 60 from asking for AstraZeneca.

“And so 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 GPs so you can have that conversation,” she said.

Mr Miles accused the federal government of overriding vaccine health advice to get rid of extra stocks of AstraZeneca.

No national cabinet decision on AZ: Palaszczuk

Annastacia Palaszczuk has told people under 40 to listen to health advice rather than the federal government, over vaccination, saying there was no national cabinet decision to give AstraZeneca to under 40s.

“Please listen to Dr Young and listen to the health experts when it comes to the vaccine. At the moment, the advice is for people aged 40 to 59 to get Pfizer, and people 60 and over to get AstraZeneca. There has been no national cabinet decision about AstraZeneca being given to under 40s,” the premier said.

“Also, I draw people’s attention to recent reports from the BBC over in the UK. Where it says under 40s to be offered alternatives to AstraZeneca vaccine. It says here, most adults under the age of 40 will be given an alternative to the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine due to a link with rare blood clots.”