COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca

COVID-19 VACCINE ASTRAZENECA

COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has been shown to be safe, to greatly reduce your risk of acquiring COVID-19, and to almost eliminate your risk of needing hospitalisation for it. It does not contain any live SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes COVID-19), and it cannot give you COVID-19.

A combination of several clinical trials showed that COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is safe and effective. People who received two doses of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca were about 62-70 per cent less likely to get COVID-19 than people who did not receive the vaccine. Protection against COVID-19 starts from about 3 weeks after the first dose of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. While one dose may give some protection, it may only last for the short-term. The second dose boosts antibody levels and is likely to prolong the duration of protection, and studies show the highest degree of protection when given 12 weeks apart.

COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has been provisionally approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for people 18 years and older. Detailed information from the TGA regarding approval can be found here. However, due to recent evidence of a likely link between COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and an extremely rare blood clotting syndrome (thrombosis with thrombocytopenia), the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has recommended that the use of Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer) is preferred over COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca in adults under 60 years old who have not already had a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Information in this regard can be found here.