Adults in Sydney should strongly consider any available COVID vaccine, says ATAGI

Anyone aged 18 or over in Greater Sydney "should strongly consider getting vaccinated with any available vaccine", including AstraZeneca, to protect themselves against coronavirus, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has recommended in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in New South Wales.

The advice comes after NSW recorded 163 local cases of COVID-19, which is a new daily record for the state.

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Of those, 66 were household contacts and 45 were infectious in the community.

ATAGI has previously recommended Pfizer as the vaccine of choice for anyone under 60 years of age because of the extremely small risk of a blood clot disorder which is more likely to occur in younger people.

However, today's statement is a change in direction in response to the growing crisis in Sydney.

"All individuals aged 18 years and above in greater Sydney, including adults under 60 years of age, should strongly consider getting vaccinated with any available vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca," ATAGI said in a statement.

"This is on the basis of the increasing risk of COVID-19 and ongoing constraints of Comirnaty (Pfizer) supplies.

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"In addition, people in areas where outbreaks are occurring can receive the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine four to eight weeks after the first dose, rather than the usual 12 weeks, to bring forward optimal protection."

ATAGI has also reaffirmed its previous advice that in a large outbreak, the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca are greater than the risk of rare side effects for all age groups.