Bombshell as the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is no longer available to Australians
- The AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is no longer available
- The health department shut it down on March 20
The AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, linked to a very rare but serious side effect, has been quietly discontinued in Australia.
The Federal Health Service confirmed that the vaccine, sold under the brand name Vaxzevria, would no longer be available to Australians from March 20.
Deakin University Chair in Epidemiology Professor Catherine Bennett told Daily Mail Australia that its removal was expected because it had been replaced by other vaccines.
‘It was really only available for so long to people who had had previous doses of AstraZeneca and wanted to finish their course of it,’ said Prof Bennett.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is approved for use in people 18 years and older as a primary course from February 15, 2021 and as a booster dose on February 8, 2022.
But as of October 2021, it was only available on demand in favor of the newer mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
AstraZeneca is no longer available to Australians, the federal health department confirmed
“It (AstraZeneca) was very effective in the early days of the vaccine rollout,” Prof. Bennett said.
“But now with Novavax there is a more traditional vaccine that has been proven to be safe and effective, as well as the two mRNA vaccines.”
The shift from AstraZeneca came after official health advice changed in 2021 to restrict its use to people over the age of 60 due to concerns about a rare blood-clotting disorder.
The condition, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (TTS), involves blood clots in combination with a low platelet count, with people under 60 being more at risk.
According to health authorities, the risk of developing the condition after a first dose of AstraZeneca was about 20 in a million and most cases recovered.
According to a June 2022 report from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, there were eight deaths in Australia confirmed to be due to TTS following the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“Yes, there were some serious side effects, but it’s very important not to underestimate how big the difference was in terms of lives saved in 2021,” said Prof Bennett.
“Especially when Delta was the dominant strain, we wouldn’t have gotten this far in terms of fighting the virus by relying on the mRNA vaccines alone.”
Millions of Aussies were vaccinated after coronavirus locked the world down for much of 2020 and 2021
Prof Bennett said those who had received earlier doses of AstraZeneca and then received a later dose of a different brand actually had better protection.
“Vaccining heterologous, combining vaccines, is very effective,” she said.
A booster dose of Covid vaccine is recommended for anyone over the age of 65 in early 2023, according to the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI).
For persons aged 18 to 64 years, a booster dose before 2023 is only recommended for persons at increased risk of Covid-19.
“For healthy people, one booster is probably enough, you don’t get significantly more protection from another booster,” said Prof. Bennett.
The Ministry of Health and Elderly Care confirmed that the vaccine’s phasing out was due to the availability of newer options.
“This was not a safety-based decision, as some people on social media have misrepresented,” a spokesman said.
As expected, the first-generation vaccines have been replaced by newer vaccines targeting the virus strains now in circulation.
“The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine remains tentatively approved by the TGA, but the sponsor has made a commercial decision regarding supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia.”