Almost one-third of adult Australians have indicated they’re unlikely to get the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming months as the number of blood clotting cases likely linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine rises to 19. Most people surveyed said they were waiting for more people to get vaccinated.
It’s a major concern, with experts flagging that Australia might not achieve herd immunity at the current rates of vaccination, pushing back Australia’s return to normality.
The government’s vaccine messaging has been criticised as mixed and unfocused. Comments made by Health Minister Greg Hunt amplified those concerns as he reminded Australians there will be different types of vaccines available later in the year.
“Right now we want to encourage everyone over 50 to get vaccinated as early as possible,” he said. “[But] as supply increases later in the year, there’ll be enough mRNA vaccine for every Australian.”
The wrong approach to take
Communicating risk isn’t easy. The exact rate at which a blood clotting condition is appearing after a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine keeps changing. While the Australian government previously said it affects six in every 1 million vaccinated people, European data estimates it’s closer to one in 100,000. This is still considered a rare reaction to medication.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) releases a weekly COVID-19 vaccine safety report, though last month abandoned data on the frequency of blood clotting per vaccinated Australian. It previously stated one in 295,000. Increasing numbers may be due to milder presentations as the general public become more aware of clotting symptoms.
Despite the public’s concerns, the government’s messaging has repeatedly focused on the benefit/risk ratio of getting the vaccine v catching COVID-19. This, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Vaccine Uptake Group research fellow Jessica Kaufman tells Crikey, is the wrong approach to take.
“When you talk to people about the risks of going to ICU with COVID, it’s really not very powerful as a message when compared to even the very minor risks associated with the vaccines,” she said.
While encouraging Australians to line up for the jab, Prime Minister Scott Morrison often compares Australia’s situation with other countries, further highlighting the limited risk.
Kaufman said while the $23.9 million injected into the public information campaign to encourage Australians to get a vaccine was a good start, communication needed to be more tailored to individual communities, and there needed to be more consultation with experts.
The government has also been criticised for its secrecy around the vaccine rollout: while vaccination numbers and adverse reactions are released by the Health Department and TGA, the government has remained opaque around the number of vaccinations in residential disability care homes, along with information on the private contractors paid to support the rollout.
Punitive measures not appropriate
Morrison also flagged vaccine passports for domestic travel, highlighting the benefit of getting the vaccine — and adding a punitive measure for those who don’t.
This too has sparked mixed messaging and controversy. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk are both against the idea, with Berejiklian pushing for free movement among states and territories.
Discussions with the International Air Transport Association about digital vaccine passports began this week.
Kaufman said the government should focus on the positives of the vaccine in campaigns, as New Zealand and Singapore have done, focusing on large weddings, dancing and international travel and outcomes for a vaccinated country. She said setting a target date for reopening borders could also work as encouragement.
Australians need reassurance
University of Sydney clinical vaccine specialist Nicholas Wood is an advocate for a compensation scheme to pay out people injured by a COVID-19 vaccine.
“There should be some sort of injury compensation program to support these people who have to take time off work during the event — for treatment, management, recovery, and then for visits with medical staff for repeat scans and other appointments,” he told Crikey.
This would add a layer of security, especially for those in casual or sole-trader industries.
Wood doesn’t believe a compensation scheme would amplify the risk or fuel hesitancy. “You can’t open the paper every week without some sort of a story on the clots,” he said.
“People might look at the risk estimate and say, well at least I’m entitled to some sort of support.”
I’m old enough to recall the Grim Reaper ads during the HIV/AIDS early days. Apparently it screened only 9 times. But it has never been forgotten by those of us (still alive) who saw it! The other part of that campaign were advertisements that showed the ‘who are you really sleeping with’; the image expanded from the hetro couple to their former partners and ALL the former partners of the former partners. You didn’t need to be rocket scientist to get the message. The education campaign was direct, blunt and easily understood. And not a politician in sight!
And it worked extremely well.
It worked extremely well in terrifying children at the time.
It worked well when Clive Palmer used in his $68,000,000 anti- Labor Party campaign in 2019.
Given that we have such poor leaders it is no wonder that people are sceptical – I find it hard to give any seriousness to Scott Morrison and as for Mike Hunt – forget it!!!!
‘Mike’? Did you mean the increasingly gaunt looking gHunt?
His collars are now at least 2 sizes too large,ever since his emergency hospitalisation after a C19 shot but it had absolutely nothing whatoever to do with whatever he may, or may not, have received by way of inoculation.
Does anyone know where he stands on the Cabinet pecking… err, jabbing order?
Astra/Omega or Phizzer?
GHunt, that is Greg not Mike.
Hardly surprising, impacted by negative messaging towards science and especially climate science, during the past decades creating scepticism. This is not organic either, DeSmog UK linked Koch Network think tanks promoting both climate and Covid scepticism, while Locally some NewsCorp outlets if not promoting scepticism, are encouraging some anxiety about vaccines.
Of course the Federal Govt. or PM’s Office, having a bob each way blaming and/or obstructing state Labor governments……. semes very strategic, electorally, but not much good if the PM gets blow back…..
If the government vaccinated all of the population within days of each other we would not reach “Herd Immunity”.
Why?
“Herd Immunity” requires an “immunization”.
And so, please stop using the term Herd Immunity.
The current vaccinations do not produce an immune response, the vaccine works to reduce the effect of Covid19 once you have got the infection. It reduces transmission, it does not prevent it completely. The vaccination has a variable time frame.
The sadly misused term of “Herd Immunity” has become stuck in the minds of people as the terrible, failed Swedish experiment, that the Netherlands, Belgium and initially the UK followed.
As for the vaccine which were left, after scottie from marketing appointed a Chief Health Officer, 8 months after Brendan Murphy had to get on with his real job of working in the federal department of health to front the RC into aged care, or more pointedly no care in aged care facilities, they were left for a reason.
From March 2020 until November 2020 we had no one authorized to negotiate or sign contracts for vaccines and then no deliveries until late February 2021/ March 2021.
Does anyone trust this government to do the right thing rather than the political best fix at the time??
Thank you for that lucid summary.
(slight quibble about the Nordophobia… friends of advanced age in Sweden are satisfied, over all.)
I’m a bit perplexed by your opening sentence. The vaccines absolutely do produce an immune response. That is what they are designed to do. They do not necessarily completely stop infections, but certainly do prompt an immune response
Incidentally no! No one could trust the current shambolic mob on anything!
One of the best things I think the government could do is reassure anyone getting the AstraZeneca vaccine now will be eligible for further boosters down the road of others vaccines once supplies are available. People avoiding AstraZeneca for want of Pfizer/Moderna somewhere down the line is prolonging this pandemic more than it needs to.
Hell, I’m under 50 and would take an AstraZeneca jab tomorrow if I could.
Once again a adverse reaction to the AstraZeneca vaccine, and once again it’s headline news on ABC. Along with another headline about how Indonesia is suspending use of the vaccine.
How is anyone trying to follow along meant to feel good about getting the jab?!
Because if it looks like shit, smells like shit, and tastes like shit, it’s probably shit.
Headline news on Melbourne ‘s Herald Sun was 6 deaths from Pfizer vaccine trial, turned out that 4 were placebo and 2 weren’t from blood clots! Scotty needs to clean his mates up!
It is not just Indonesia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and France have stopped using AstraZeneca vaccine.
It really is not an effective vaccine if you have a low Covid environment.
efficacy has nothing to do with COVID prevalence.