COVID vaccinations open up to over 50s

THE coronavirus vaccination program is now open for everyone over the age of 50, and Barwon Health has released a “mythbusters” video to encourage more people to get the vaccine.

In the video posted on Barwon Health’s Facebook page on Sunday night, Barwon South West Public Health Unit director Professor Eugene Athan answered some of the frequently asked questions on social media, including why it was not safe for people under the age of 50 to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“What we have found in the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, now that it’s been distributed to more than 30 million people around the world, is that a rare manifestation of people’s immune response includes the development of blood clots,” Prof. Athan said.

“When I say it’s rare, it’s less than one in 250,000 individuals, so it’s exceedingly rare, but this significant immune response occurs more often in younger people with a robust immunity than in older people.

“It’s been extremely rare to occur in people over the age of 30 but to be on the safe side, we’ve encouraged people over the age of 50 as our threshold in Australia, being a more conservative approach.

“And of course, we know people over the age of 50 are at increased risk of developing the COVID disease, so by the time people are 70-plus, they could potentially develop more severe disease and end up in hospital.”

In response to the question “True or false: The COVID-19 vaccine contained a microchip that the government can use to track us”, Prof. Athan said “that is obviously not true”.

He said it was also false that people with pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes should not get vaccinated.

“In fact, people with medical conditions are at higher risk of COVID complications and therefore should always be vaccinated, so having a medical condition is a good reason to get vaccinated.”

Prof. Athan said that contrary to reports online, the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccinations did prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus from person to person, with large-scale studies from countries such as Scotland and Israel showing a reduction in transmission of more than 80 per cent.

“If you’re fit and healthy, you certainly would not be at risk of COVID complications – although that can occur rarely – but you can protect those around you that are at risk or vulnerable.”

The video’s other answers included:

• There is no evidence whatsover from large scale trials and follow-up that the vaccine causes infertility
• The vaccine cannot give you COVID-19
• The vaccine does not alter your DNA
• There is no cancer risk associated with the vaccine, and
• The vaccine does not contain human foetal cells.

Phone bookings are still strongly encouraged at all vaccination sites allowing walk-ins, including the former Ford factory in North Geelong. When phoning 1800 675 398 (and selecting option 3, option 2, option 2) people can discuss the centre that’s right for them, based on availability, age and vaccine type.

For more information about locations, vaccine and walk-in access, head to the Barwon Health and the Department of Health and Human Services websites.