Top doctor can’t understand why Australians aren’t getting AstraZeneca
Dr Chant #DrChant
Top doctor Kerry Chant has rubbished the ‘mythology’ about the AstraZeneca vaccine and issued a passionate plea to eligible Australians to get the jab.
The NSW Chief Health Officer vented her frustration over vaccine hesitancy during Friday’s press conference as Sydney recorded 136 new Covid-19 cases.
Dr Chant revealed her husband and mother-in-law had both received their AstraZeneca jabs and said the risks were ‘infinitesimally small’ compared to the benefits.
‘I just want to say that the Chief Health Officer would not recommend AstraZeneca to someone that they care about If they had concerns that the risks of AstraZeneca are infinitesimally small compared to the benefits,’ she said.
Determined to debunk fear surrounding the AstraZeneca jab, Dr Chant made clear she wouldn’t recommend the vaccine to her loved ones if it presented more dangerous than the threat of Delta Variant threat itself.
‘We need to correct the mythology about AstraZeneca,’ she said.
‘And in the context of the Delta threat, I just cannot understand why people would not be taking the opportunity to go out and get AstraZeneca in droves.’
The Chief Health Officer also stressed it was critically important for young essential workers in south-west Sydney to be offered the Pfizer vaccine.
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‘That is why I am arguing that we need to use Pfizer for those young people to stem the transmission chain,’ she explained.
‘Because we know that that will provide individual benefit to them and prevent them also from spreading it on and what we are seeing is people are bringing it into their household and then effecting their older relatives.’
Dr Chant pleaded with NSW residents waiting for access to the Pfizer jab to consider taking advantage of AstraZeneca’s availability and make a booking.
‘I think that regardless of your age, also consider AstraZeneca and have that risk-benefit discussion and if you are in a hot spot area and are concerned that you may bring it into your home,’ she said.
A record 87,000 residents were tested for Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday.
Of the new cases, 77 are linked to known clusters while 59 are being investigated to determine the source of infection.
There are 137 people being treated in hospital of which 32 people are intensive care and 14 are on ventilation.
Ms Berejiklian said Sydney residents had a ‘national obligation’ to stop the spread of the virus and that they should get vaccinated as soon as possible.
‘We need to get at least the first jab for as many people as we can in those affected communities as possible, and that’s why we are asking for a refocus of the national vaccination strategy,’ she said.
‘We’ve already put some request in which we understand are being considered, but we need to refocus, which means using all vaccines available, including AstraZeneca.
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