Australia is facing a "very serious crisis" after access to the AstraZeneca vaccine was expanded to people aged under 40, sparking a political divide and heated debate.
Former adviser to Paul Keating and strategic health policy consultant Professor Bill Bowtell told Today communication on the vaccine rollout had "broken down" since the accessibility expansion of AstraZeneca.
"I don't know what's been going on between the National Cabinet and the ATAGI and the chief health officers' committees - but clearly something has gone wrong," he said.
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"We are facing a very serious crisis. We've got to get a grip.
"There's got to be some order restored to the chaos that's enveloping the technical and medical advice side of this."
While the advice from the ATAGI has not changed, with AstraZeneca recommended for Australians aged over 60, the decision to allow people under 40 to access the vaccine upon consultation with their GP has caused an uproar among state premiers and chief health officers.
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Yesterday, Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young was clear in her thoughts on the prime minister's decision to allow younger Australians to get the AstraZeneca vaccine.
"I do not want under-40s to get AstraZeneca," 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. Wouldn't it be terrible that our first 18-year-old in Queensland who dies related to this pandemic died because of the vaccine?"
The Commander of Defence COVID-19 taskforce, Lieutenant General John Frewen, said allowing Australians under 40 to get the AstraZeneca jab was about giving people the right to choose.
"The ATAGI advice has remained unchanged. The medical advice has remained unchanged," he told Today.
"People can make informed consent about whichever of the vaccines are available.
"What the PM announced the other day is those under 40 can make an informed choice with their GP about whether they wish to access AstraZeneca or wait until later in the year for an alternative vaccine.
"I would hope all Australians have the right to make an informed choice about the available vaccines."
Since the prime minister made the announcement, 2616 Australians under 40 have chosen "with informed consent" to have AstraZeneca, Mr Frewen said.
"That's 2600 Australians who feel, right now, they would rather have the available vaccine than wait. I think all Australians have that right."
Leading GP Dr Todd Cameron today took aim at Prime Minister Scott Morrison for opening the floodgates of AstraZeneca use to under 40s, saying it would be best if he did not direct the public health initiative around COVID-19 vaccine advice.
Dr Cameron said advice that AstraZeneca could be administered to those under 40 with consultation with their doctor was "confusing".
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"So the advice around 18-39s now being able to access AZ is not actually new advice as such, but we would prefer that we don't have the prime minister directing the public health initiative because it is very confusing for people to hear different messaging," he said.
Dr Cameron also said Dr Young's advice that young people should stick with the Pfizer jab was sensible.
"I think Dr Jeannette Young's advice is quite sensible and appropriate for a public health expert, because when you are making advice that relate to a universal approach to strategy, then the consequences of that, they have to weigh up doing more good than harm," he said.
"Her call is the right call as the public health officer. The nuanced conversations around the individual circumstances of people really come back down to them taking personal accountability for exactly what their decision is."
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