Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has refused to weigh in on criticism of Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young for repeatedly discouraging the use of AstraZeneca among young people, despite her state’s ongoing battle with the Delta variant.
Dr Young on Monday doubled down on her previous comments, telling reporters she did not want 18-year-olds to receive the vaccine, due to fears of blood clots.
Mr Albanese, who has spent several weeks on the hustings in Queensland and avoiding Sydney’s lockdown, was reluctant to criticise the CHO for her refusal to back down on her criticism of readily available vaccine.
“I haven’t seen her comments. I support people following the medical advice. I think if people can get AstraZeneca, they should. I think people should get every vaccine that’s available to them, subject, of course, to the advice of their doctors,” he said.
When asked if Dr Young was fuelling “anti-AstraZeneca-ism”, Mr Albanese declined to comment.
“Look, I’m not going to join in a pile-on. People should be vaccinated. People should be vaccinated with whatever vaccines are available.”
Labor’s position on the vaccine has come under scrutiny in recent weeks following the preselection of well known AstraZeneca critic Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah for the seat of Higgins in Victoria.
Mr Albanese has been repeatedly invited to clarify his and his party’s position on the vaccine. On Tuesday he again insisted “politicians shouldn’t give health advice” but clarified on Studio Ten he would be happy for his son to get the AZ jab.
But his colleague, and former Labor leader Bill Shorten, has had no such qualms. Last week he visited the CSL factory where they are manufacturing the millions of AstraZeneca doses. He labelled the vaccine “the magic bullet to get out of lockdown”.
Current ATAGI guidelines state the AstraZeneca vaccine can be used in those under 60 where “benefits are likely to outweigh the risk” and informed consent is given.
On Monday, Health Minister Greg Hunt said those in lockdown due to Queensland’s growing battle with the Delta variant should consider getting an AstraZeneca vaccine.
“Our message is that the ATAGI advice has been reframed … If you are under 60, it is something, in a hotspot, in an outbreak area, that people should strongly consider,” he said.
Earlier, president of AstraZeneca Australia, Liz Chatwin, expressed her frustration over the debate raging about the vaccine.
“We have been surprised about the amount of debate about the vaccine and disappointed,” Ms Chatwin told ABC RN.
“Covid is deadly. The benefit of vaccinations are clear. We know that from real-world data from millions of people.”
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