Legislative Council: Tuesday, September 07, 2021

Contents

COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:48): Supplementary: it has been noted, of course, that many people who have had AstraZeneca and are of a certain older age group have not turned up for their second dose. What is SA Health doing to encourage them to get vaccinated?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:48): The first thing that we are doing is urging them to do so and that was done—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I'm not sure whether the opposition is laughing at people over the age of 60 or—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —SA Health. I'm not sure what they are laughing at. I'm not really sure if they know what they are laughing at. The point being that it is very unfortunate about the reputation—the concerns in relation to AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca side effects are incredibly rare. The AstraZeneca vaccine (forgive me for not knowing its latest rebadged name) continues to be a very important weapon in our arsenal to vaccinate the nation. The fact that AstraZeneca has been particularly provided to people over the age of 60 is because of the supply constraints in relation to Pfizer and the fact that younger people have greater clinical risk, as demonstrated by advice from ATAGI.