Exclusion from clinical trials, lack of data and inconsistent information made it difficult for pregnant and breastfeeding people to make decisions about COVID-19 vaccines early in the rollout.
Hotspot neighbourhoods with greater COVID-19 risk exposure continued to have higher infection rates even when they achieved vaccination levels equal to lower-risk neighbourhoods.
If Big Pharma wants to achieve the ultimate image makeover, it must capitalize on the current public good will about its COVID-19 vaccines by prioritizing socially responsible practices.
If you’re in Sydney, the advice is for people to bring forward the timing of their second AstraZeneca shot, and for the under 60s to consider having it if they can’t get hold of Pfizer.
The latest survey shows COVID-19 vaccine acceptance is at 81%, but it suggests low reach for the government’s vaccination ads, with only four in ten people saying they’ve seen them on television.
Weeks do matter when it comes to the Delta strain. With Australia still heavily reliant on the AstraZeneca vaccine, for now it makes sense to reduce the time between the first and second jab.
The rise of the Delta variant does seem to be associated with more COVID transmission in schools than what we’ve seen previously. But kids are much less likely to become severely unwell.
People who haven’t gotten vaccinated for COVID-19 often have complex reasons for their relunctance or may face other barriers. Lumping them all together undercuts the vaccination campaign.
We should move rapidly to reduce fear, improve vaccination rates, improve treatments and reduce complications as we do with other diseases we can’t eliminate or fully protect against.
With youth ages 12 and over eligible for COVID-19 vaccination — and as trials for younger children move ahead — parental hesitancy is emerging as the new challenge for COVID-19 vaccine programs.
People in Canterbury have been told to be patient as their vaccination is delayed by weeks, but regional disparities in the vaccine rollout are unacceptable as we face new COVID-19 variants.
Paediatrician at the Royal Childrens Hospital and Associate Professor and Clinician Scientist, University of Melbourne and MCRI, Murdoch Children's Research Institute