CHO Jeannette Young eases urgency on AstraZeneca to 12-weeks between jabs

The state’s top doctor Jeannette Young has eased the urgency on the second dose of the vaccine because ‘we are not in an outbreak’.

Queensland’s top doctor has eased the urgency on distributing the AstraZeneca jab because the state is “not in an outbreak”.

Supply of the vaccine was ramped up to issuing the second dose eight weeks after the first when the Delta cluster plagued the state’s southeast earlier this month.

But on Friday, chief health officer Jeannette Young said this urgency would be eased to 12 weeks between the two jabs.

“So for the vast majority of people, given we are not in an outbreak in Queensland at this point in time, wait for 12 weeks to get a second dose of AstraZeneca,” she told reporters.

Dr Young also reiterated the new eligibility rules for the Pfizer jab announced by the Prime Minister on Thursday.

Dr Young eased the urgency on distributing the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Australians aged 16 to 39 will be able to access Pfizer vaccines from August 30 after a boost to supply of the vaccine was confirmed earlier in the week.

“Here in Queensland, I ask you all to register,” Dr Young said to the younger residents in the state.

“Then we can manage those bookings because I do not want an empty slot in any of our vaccine clinics. I want to pull people in so we can fill every single slot.

“The easiest way to do that is for people to register and then we can say come ahead and book and make sure that all of those spots are taken up.”

The top doctor said authorities will then turn their focus to vaccinating those aged between 12-15, with those who have underlying medical conditions to be preferred.

“For 12-15-year-olds, if you have any serious underlying disease, work with your paediatrician and make sure you organise a vaccine,” Dr Young said.

Younger Queenslanders were asked to register for the vaccine. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

“It will not be long and will be looking at vaccinating all 12-15 -year-olds but at the moment it is only First Nations kids, 12-15 and kids with severe underlying disease.”

Dr Young has faced widespread criticism for her stance on vaccinations with eligibility criteria changing regularly based on various Covid-19 threats in the state.

The CHO made national headlines during the state’s earlier lockdown in June when she declared AstraZeneca should not be taken by under 60s despite a change in the ATAGI recommendation.

Australian Medical Association vice-president Chris Moy slammed this opinion at the time as “inappropriate” and reiterated his frustration with the CHO’s views earlier this month.

“My concern is advice that is given in a way that looks like a command can significantly reduce confidence in a vaccine that has been very effective,” he told NCA NewsWire.

“On the one hand she has concerns about a very tiny risk of doing something – which is giving the vaccine – but there’s also a massive risk in not doing something.

“If there’s an outbreak and people aren’t vaccinated, you’ve seen what is happening in Sydney at the moment and the number of people who are in hospital.”