Australia is phasing out the AstraZeneca vaccine from September as those over 60 receive their second dose. It’s the vaccine we have in the highest quantities given it’s manufactured onshore — though it’s also the most contentious due to very rare links to blood clots.
Imports of Pfizer doses are expected to reach up to 1.3 million a week in September, and up to 2.3 million by December, while AstraZeneca doses will drop as low as 880,000 by September and given to states based on demand from December (though manufacturing will continue until company CSL fulfils its contract of 50 million doses, CSL tells Crikey).
Around the world, new research has shown mixing and matching vaccines might be the way to go. The UK still allows AstraZeneca for those aged under 40, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the Moderna vaccine two months after being given AstraZeneca.
Is the decision backed by science?
AstraZeneca was a free-for-all earlier in the year. By April the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) advised those under 50 to have the Pfizer due to the risk of blood clots. Last week that was updated to those under 60 as more data emerged.
The risk of developing a blood clot is very rare, affecting an estimated 1.4 people between the ages of 60 and 69 for every 100,000 first doses. This increases to 3.1 for those under 50.
But every vaccine comes with risks — mRNA COVID-19 vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna can cause anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction in 2.47 people in every 10,000 people. This morning the US Food and Drug Administration added a warning about rare cases of heart inflammation in adolescents and young adults for the same vaccines.
Sydney University infectious diseases expert Professor Robert Booy tells Crikey he thinks the decision to phase out AstraZeneca was only partially based on science.
“I do think it was influenced by public perception,” he said. “The risk is not just rare, but very rare, and the protection may well be better [from mixing vaccines].”
AstraZeneca was the wrong horse to back
The efficacy of AstraZeneca has been in question for some time, although data varies. Some evidence suggests it has the same efficacy as Pfizer, while new research suggests it may only be 60% effective against the new Delta variant (though this is still effective enough for the World Health Organization to approve a vaccine).
Professor of biostatistics at the University of South Australia Adrian Esterman tells Crikey Australia’s reliance on AstraZeneca wasn’t smart given the way the vaccine works always meant there was a risk of reduced efficacy.
AstraZeneca uses a chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine vector to carry the virus into the human body and generate an immune response.
“The trouble is that [when] the body responds to the vaccine, it can also respond to the virus,” Esterman said. “So when you get your second dose in some people it might not be as effective because the body is also responding to the adenovirus.”
Esterman said it was the wrong call for Australia to focus on AstraZeneca. Deals with Pfizer and Moderna came late, the local Queensland University vaccine was abandoned, and Novavax is still in clinical trials.
“There’s always a chance for any other vaccines that there might be safety issues or there might be effectiveness issues,” he said.
“Most of the countries have spread their bets and tried to get several … but unfortunately we only had one we could manufacture onshore.”
What will happen to excess doses?
About 6.8 million vaccine doses have been administered in Australia, most of which are AstraZeneca. CSL scored a contract to manufacture 50 million doses of AstraZeneca and has been manufacturing between 700,000 and 1 million doses a week. By December, the government plans to allocate doses based on demand — so what will happen to the remaining vaccines?
CSL tells Crikey it has no plans to pause manufacturing, saying it’s committed to meeting its contracted arrangements with the Australian government. The Health Department didn’t respond to Crikey’s questions by deadline.
Esterman and Booy say the excess doses should be donated — although donating vaccines our government didn’t want to give those under 60 isn’t a good look.
“We’ve used AstraZeneca for millions of Australians and it’s appropriate for us to also supply it to other countries,” Booy said.
“Kneejerk reactions of dumping of vaccines, just because perception is wrong, is not how we make decisions. We should make them based on science.”
Booy wants Australians to donate $10 to UNICEF after they have been immunised to provide a vaccine for a person in a poorer country through the global COVAX program.
Have I got this right? ….
“Scotty FM’s skulked into the Casino of the Hereafter and bet our farm on ‘A-Z’ : whilst personally partaking of the “Private Bin Pfizer” at The Bar of Self-Indulgence? …… Now he wants to cash in those chips – he’s lost?”
The Director of Government Affairs at Scott Morrison’s favourite drug company AstraZeneca is former federal govt lobbyist Kieran Schneemann.
He’s also a former Chief of Staff in the Liberal party.
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2020/08/good-grief-morrisons-vaccine-an-inside-job/
Schneemann is one of many health lobbyists to have a rich past in politics.
From 1996 to 2006 he held a number of senior roles in the Howard government, including as chief of staff to former Liberal senator Nick Minchin and former Coalition MP Peter McGauran.
He also held the role of secretary of the joint standing committee on electoral matters and was a director of parliamentary relations at the foreign and commonwealth office.
I see no other reading of the matters of the fact – Scummo, start to finish.
Far too often, we have allowed the media to raise disproportionate fears about non-existent or negligible threats. Cowardice from our leaders is the norm. Instead, we need a national leader who will face the cameras and say something like…
“It is my solemn duty to tell you that Australia is at war. I am calling on all Australians now to roll up your sleeves to protect your elders, your loved ones, your friends, your workmates and the community in general. In turn you will be protected against the main enemy. Yes there is a risk, but your bravery is required to serve the greater good.…”
Too Marxist for Scomo. Community and national welfare are not as important as individual profits and wealth. The Pharisees Christians are in charge.
There is a reason all the vaccines are still registered for ‘Emergency Use Only’, and that’s because none of them have completed clinical trials.
That being the case, there is no way any responsible scientist can assert risks of harm are non-existent or negligible.
In the case of the mRNA vaccines, they are still classified as “gene therapies”. Given how gene therapies act, and on what, to suggest such ‘medicines’ come with negligible or no risks of harm, without the peer reviewed clinical trial outcomes being available is negligent in the extreme.
Further, perusal of the adverse reaction data being published weekly in the UK, points to the risks of varying degrees of harm, caused by a lot more than ‘rare blood clots’.
Pray tell, where might an Australian access similar data to that published in the UK?
https://www.tga.gov.au/periodic/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-safety-report-24-06-2021
This site https://swprs.org/ ( Swiss Policy Research) has a lot of information which has been collated & may be of interest to those seeking answers.
Here’s some data for ya:
First dose total 43,448,680
Second dose total 31,740,115
Vast majority astraseneca. Now we have daily cases over 10,000 again due to idiot government, but very few deaths.
376,000 people in UK have had long Covid symptoms for at least a year.You could just walk up now and ask for AZ vaccine
The Pasteur Institute found that a single dose of AstraZeneca would have “little to no efficacy” against the Delta variant.
Sorry Amber, you must have missed some of this morning’s news. There are no plans, only Horizons. I presume these “Horizons” (numbers 1, 2 and 3, if I recall) will retreat away from an advancing viewer as have all the horizons I have encountered and indeed much like the LNP delivering on its promises er, Horizons. As a clarification I should explain that these LNP “Horizons” cannot be “Event Horizons”. I am reliably informed that on reaching an “Event Horizon” we will have reached the point of no return but as we all know from bitter experience the LNP never delivers on its promises er, Horizons.
More like mirages.
Scomo choosing a Pfizer vaccine would not be offensive had he not concurrently flogged AstaZenenca for everybody else (now almost everybody else).
I had my second AZ shot yesterday, three months (yes, a big handicap. But “It’s Not A Race”!) after the first.
“…the body is also responding to the adenovirus”
I think that is what is going on with me.
Up all night with coughing fits and now headachey, nose pouring, blocked up and crook.
“Adenoviruses are common viruses that cause a range of illness. They can cause cold-like symptoms, fever, sore throat, bronchitis, pneumonia, diarrhea, and pink eye (conjunctivitis).”
Yeah. And how is C19 worse than that? (RQ)
I don’t regret getting vaccinated. I expect AZ will be reasonably effective. But I am fed up with Scomo’s spin, poor performance, self-interest and invasive controls. Vote Independent !
Commiserations – I had mine (2nd) yesterday and I haven’t had any side effects, beyond the continued pistopholy of Morrison putting all our pleb’s eggs in one basket : while he and his cronies nicked off with the “Brand P”.
Klewso, I am glad you did not suffer from the second AZ dose.
Esterman accurately predicted my second reaction. I don’t know how to interpret his comments about effectiveness.
But you’re right about the unanimity of pistopholy !
I am headachey. pouring from the nose, balance impaired, coughing very deeply to the stage I thought twice I was not going to be able to avoid vomiting.
Damn the authorities who think they can conceal these symptoms ! What has become of the hypocratic oath? Is every traditional value including truth now sacrificed to the advancement of government political agendas?
I think too many of them prefer the ‘hypocritic oath’.
The media has a lot to answer for – not only is it comparing vaccines in a way that hasn’t been scientifically tested, but drumming up every possible reason to doubt the safety. Even today I saw a story on ABC that said they were looking into whether there was a vaccine link for someone who died. Not that there was one, but they don’t know if there was!
How, in this environment, with negative story after negative story (including the risk of death) is any non-expert meant to process the relative risk of getting a vaccine?? This is a massive failure of politics, a gift to the anti-vaxxers, gonna prolong the pandemic, and reduce confidence in future measures.
The adverse event hadn’t been investigated yet, but it was published. That’s really bad practice. Adverse events need to be investigated to see if it was possible for the drug to cause the event, and if so, had it been correctly used.