Coronavirus: Doctors stand firm on Pfizer for under 60s

Despite the federal government’s change of policy, the AMA says patients under 60 should get the Pfizer vaccine instead of AstraZeneca.

Gabi Blomson receives the AstraZeneca jab from Dr Stephen Massey at Bondi Doctors, following the announcement under-40s are able to get the shot from a GP immediately. Picture: John Feder

Doctors around the country say the federal government needs to urgently clarify its new policy on the AstraZeneca vaccine, with peak medical groups recommending that those aged under 60 should get the Pfizer vaccine in line with health advice.

Doctors say they were not consulted on the changes and that patients are confused about which vaccine they should get.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is advising patients aged under 60 that they should follow the advice of the nation’s top immunisation experts despite the federal government encouraging young people to consult with their doctor about whether to get AstraZeneca.

AMA president Omar Khorshid said the federal government’s change of policy on AstraZeneca would confuse patients and has been implemented without any prior discussion with doctors.

The federal government announced overnight that it was opening up eligibility for people of any age to receive AstraZeneca despite Pfizer being the preferred vaccine for those aged under 60 according to the recommendation of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

“We were not expecting it,” Dr Khorshid said. “It does meet a desire in the community (for AstraZeneca) so I think from that point of view we think it’s positive, but on the flipside, we support the ATAGI decision and advice, which is that the Pfizer vaccine is the preferred vaccine for those under 60.

AMA president Omar Khorshid. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

“It’s not an inappropriate decision for someone under the age of 60 to have the AstraZeneca vaccine if they are willing to accept the risks, but our advice to patients is to follow the advice of the experts. I expect that GPs on the whole will recommend to patients that they follow the ATAGI advice. Our preference is that Australians follow ATAGI’s advice and have the vaccine that’s recommended for them.”

Royal Australian College of GPs president Karen Price has called on the government to “urgently clarify” the change in policy so that GPs can properly explain it to patients.

“The nation’s general practices had no warning of the announcements made last night and are now scrambling to figure out what this means for our patients,” Dr Price said. “Phones are ringing off the hook at general practices across the country with people trying to book in, but general practices are not yet armed with the advice needed to implement this change in eligibility.”

In NSW, where Greater Sydney is currently in lockdown due to an outbreak of the Delta variant, GPs were being inundated with calls from under 40s to receive the AstraZeneca shot.

Stephen Massey, who works across both Bondi Doctors and Double Bay Doctors in Sydney’s east, said the receptionist had received “lots and lots” of bookings since the announcement was made.

Patient William Stoltz, 28, said he heard Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement on Monday night and called his local Canberra GP first thing Tuesday morning to book an AstraZeneca appointment.

 

“If you look at the public health advice, the risk of getting Covid-19 and falling ill is far greater than blood clotting linked to AstraZeneca. I see it as a civic duty to go out and get the jab to reach immunity and end the pandemic, so our society can recover.”

GPs across the country welcomed the government’s decision to offer no-fault indemnity, but stressed the need to better coordinate the vaccination program.

Australian Medical Association Victoria spokeswoman and Melbourne-based GP Ines Rio called on the government to ­release a roadmap to when Pfizer or potentially the Moderna ­vaccine would be made available to young people.

“That is the missing information in order for a person to make a truly informed decision about whether they get AstraZeneca now or whether they wait for another vaccine such as Pfizer or Moderna,” she said.

Dr Rio said there are now “conflicting messages” between the federal government and the medical advice on AstraZeneca.

“ATAGI have sent a clear message that the preference is not to vaccinate with AstraZeneca under 60,” she said.

Additional reporting: Angelica Snowden, Nicholas Jensen