Australians Under 50 Recommended To Get Vaccinated With Pfizer, Not AstraZeneca - Official - UrduPoint

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI) has advised those under 50 to choose the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BionTech rather than the one manufactured by AstraZeneca, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said on Thursday.

According to the official, the recommendation is based on the risk of blood clotting after vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine, rare but still present, reiterating the conclusions made by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) earlier this week.

"The ATAGI recommendations are the following: At the current time, the use of the Pfizer vaccine is preferred over the AstraZeneca vaccine in adults aged less than 50 years who have not already received the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine," Kelly was quoted as saying by the 7 news media outlet.

Kelly added that immunization personnel should administer a first AstraZeneca shot to those under the age of 50 only if the "benefit clearly outweighs the risk for that individual's circumstances.

" However, citizens who have received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and showed no side effects are eligible for the second dose without safety concerns, he added.