THE coronavirus vaccination program is now open for everyone over the age of 50, and Barwon Health has released a \u201cmythbusters\u201d video to encourage more people to get the vaccine.<\/p>\n
In the video posted on Barwon Health\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have found in the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, now that it\u2019s been distributed to more than 30 million people around the world, is that a rare manifestation of people\u2019s immune response includes the development of blood clots,\u201d Prof. Athan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I say it\u2019s rare, it\u2019s less than one in 250,000 individuals, so it\u2019s exceedingly rare, but this significant immune response occurs more often in younger people with a robust immunity than in older people.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been extremely rare to occur in people over the age of 30 but to be on the safe side, we\u2019ve encouraged people over the age of 50 as our threshold in Australia, being a more conservative approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to the question \u201cTrue or false: The COVID-19 vaccine contained a microchip that the government can use to track us\u201d, Prof. Athan said \u201cthat is obviously not true\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said it was also false that people with pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes should not get vaccinated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The video\u2019s other answers included:<\/p>\n