The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia has begun

[RAM]

With two more people having died today from Covid in NSW, it won’t be long until the number of deaths from Covid in the last month will be double the deaths from Astra Zeneca since the vaccination started in Australia. So sad

I had been looking through the Fed Health Dept reports but only found this out from ABC Media Watch.

There has now been at least one confirmed death from the 3rd AZ side-effect - extreme blood thinning. Did anyone see anything official about it?

Also had an interesting morning talking with the press office for Federal Dept of Health:
R - Can you tell me why the weekly Vaccine Operations Centre - Weekly Operational Update - July 19th has not be released yet?
HD - Are you from the media?
R - No, the Federal Shadow minister for health told me to ring you.
HD - We only deal with media questions.
R - Is that what you want me to let the shadow minister & journalists know is your response?
HD - I don't know what report you are talking about, it's probably a NSW Govt report.
R - Actually, the military man in charge of the Federal Vaccine rollout called it the single most important source of information for the Australian Vaccine Rollout and should be used instead of any other source for transparent information on the rollout.
HD - Oh, that report.
R - So do you know why it has been delayed? Typically it has come out on the day or the following day.
HD - No, I have not heard anything about it.
R - What no media has called you?
HD - Not one question.
R - Can you find out when it will be released?
HD - Possibly, but as you are not media...
R - Can you perhaps follow-up?
HD - I'll put you through to the general information line.
R - Don't you want to find out the answer for future questioning as the July 26th report is due today?
HD - The number to ring is 02 6281 1555.
R - But you said you'd put me through to
HD - That's the number, is there anything else?
R No Thank you.

So rang that number and eventually spoke with a switchboard operator. 'The only people I can put through to the Vaccine Operations Centre switch are GPs. Are you a GP?

Some minutes later, after mentioning not a GP, & multiple periods on hold.
Try this email address....

Eight hours later and now both the July 19th & July 26th reports are missing in action.

Perhaps the trend established (and precedent) with 1st & 2nd AZ doses continued or worsened, who knows. The # of 2nd AZ doses was greater than 1st doses.

 

[Flying mermaid]

It’s behind a paywall so I can’t link to it, but AFR had an article on pharmacies. 70 to 90 pharmacies in the Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury- Bankstown area started vaccinating this week. They said they are seeing really good uptake of AZ.

 

[mviy]

‘Bookings were mostly people in their 40s to 60s but the biggest inquiries were from younger people, to whom pharmacies are prevented from administering the vaccine.

“The worst part has been we’ve turned away, over the last two days, more than 20 people who are under 40,” Mr Papadimitriou said.’

I thought the PM had announced that under-40s could get it at pharmacies. They need to sort that out.

Pharmacies ‘overwhelmed’ by AstraZeneca interest

Pharmacies believe they’re witnessing a turning point in community perceptions of AstraZeneca on their first day of delivering the vaccine in west and south-west Sydney.

www.afr.com

 

[Flying mermaid]

‘Bookings were mostly people in their 40s to 60s but the biggest inquiries were from younger people, to whom pharmacies are prevented from administering the vaccine.

“The worst part has been we’ve turned away, over the last two days, more than 20 people who are under 40,” Mr Papadimitriou said.’

I thought the PM had announced that under-40s could get it at pharmacies. They need to sort that out.

Pharmacies ‘overwhelmed’ by AstraZeneca interest

Pharmacies believe they’re witnessing a turning point in community perceptions of AstraZeneca on their first day of delivering the vaccine in west and south-west Sydney.

www.afr.com

If you scroll down to the end of this Morrison seems to suggest it is about informed consent rather than going to a GP, so that probably needs to be sorted out with pharmacies and they need a consent form. Liability might come into it as well

Press Conference | Prime Minister of Australia

www.pm.gov.au

 

[mviy]

There are some more articles:

https://www.9news.com.au/national/c...pharmac_/2f8bc5e0-1c22-429b-ae93-660838e601aa

‘VAST ARRAY OF SUBURBS’: The Sydney pharmacies where you can get AstraZeneca ‘TODAY’

Dr Kerry Chant urged those living in southwestern Sydney to take up the opportunity to get jabbed.

7news.com.au

And in South Australia: AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine is “a lifesaver”, Nicola Spurrier says, as its reveals no one infected in the Modbury outbreak was fully vaccinated.

No Cookies | The Advertiser

No Cookies

www.adelaidenow.com.au

 

[JB expat]

Stories like this should have everyone rushing out to take what they can get. We are so lucky to have access to AZ, the fact that we can pick & choose shows just how spoiled we are. I read this and I am reminded that as bad as our lockdown feels, it is absolutely nothing compared to this.

Young children in Indonesia are dying of Covid at an alarming rate.

www.nytimes.com

 

[serfty]

This article from the British Heart Foundation explains UK experience with AZ side effects rather clearly.

AstraZeneca Covid vaccine: safety and side effects

The AstraZeneca vaccine is no longer available in the UK.

www.bhf.org.uk

 

[drron]

I had been looking through the Fed Health Dept reports but only found this out from ABC Media Watch.

There has now been at least one confirmed death from the 3rd AZ side-effect - extreme blood thinning. Did anyone see anything official about it?

Also had an interesting morning talking with the press office for Federal Dept of Health:
R - Can you tell me why the weekly Vaccine Operations Centre - Weekly Operational Update - July 19th has not be released yet?
HD - Are you from the media?
R - No, the Federal Shadow minister for health told me to ring you.
HD - We only deal with media questions.
R - Is that what you want me to let the shadow minister & journalists know is your response?
HD - I don't know what report you are talking about, it's probably a NSW Govt report.
R - Actually, the military man in charge of the Federal Vaccine rollout called it the single most important source of information for the Australian Vaccine Rollout and should be used instead of any other source for transparent information on the rollout.
HD - Oh, that report.
R - So do you know why it has been delayed? Typically it has come out on the day or the following day.
HD - No, I have not heard anything about it.
R - What no media has called you?
HD - Not one question.
R - Can you find out when it will be released?
HD - Possibly, but as you are not media...
R - Can you perhaps follow-up?
HD - I'll put you through to the general information line.
R - Don't you want to find out the answer for future questioning as the July 26th report is due today?
HD - The number to ring is 02 6281 1555.
R - But you said you'd put me through to
HD - That's the number, is there anything else?
R No Thank you.

So rang that number and eventually spoke with a switchboard operator. 'The only people I can put through to the Vaccine Operations Centre switch are GPs. Are you a GP?

Some minutes later, after mentioning not a GP, & multiple periods on hold.
Try this email address....

Eight hours later and now both the July 19th & July 26th reports are missing in action.

Perhaps the trend established (and precedent) with 1st & 2nd AZ doses continued or worsened, who knows. The # of 2nd AZ doses was greater than 1st doses.

Boy you love a conspiracy theory don't you.
But you are totally wrong on this.The side effect of the AZ virus is TTS - thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome.Platelets are an essential part of the blood clotting process.So low platelet levels can cause bleeding but in TTS also blood clots.So it isn't surprising one of the deaths is because of bleeding rather than blood clots.It would still be recorded as a death from TTS due to the AZ vaccine.

Pfizer vaccine is not immune (pun intended) from producing thrombocytopenia with bleeding.Just 1 report amongst many.

Severe, Refractory Immune Thrombocytopenia Occurring After SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine - PubMed

The rollout of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is underway, and millions have already been vaccinated. At least 25 reports of "immune thrombocytopenia" (ITP) or "thrombocytopenia" following the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine have been added to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in the US. ITP...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

It also is relatively common with many viral infections.So don't go to FNQ as severe dengue commonly is complicated by severe thrombocytopenia.
Covid itself is often complicated by severe thrombosis and sometimes thrombocytoppenia.

The other fact that you implied -
Perhaps the trend established (and precedent) with 1st & 2nd AZ doses continued or worsened, who knows. The # of 2nd AZ doses was greater than 1st doses.

this in fact is the exact opposite.TTS is far more prevalent with the first dose of AZ than the second.

 

[mviy]

A lot of stories about the Olympics on tomorrow's Front Pages. However, the SMH does have the story "Vaccine strategy to target under 40s" - critical workers under 40, that is.

 

[Batterytraveller]

I’ve not seen Novavax mentioned in any of the recent rollout plans, but yet another example of why bets on vaccines and treatments need to be spread far and wide.

Major delay in Australian government’s Novavax deal, with 51m doses not expected until 2022

Initially touted as a ‘primary’ vaccine to help immunise Australia by the end of this year, Novavax will now form part of the booster strategy

www.theguardian.com

 

[Must...Fly!]

Boy you love a conspiracy theory don't you.
But you are totally wrong on this.The side effect of the AZ virus is TTS - thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome.Platelets are an essential part of the blood clotting process.So low platelet levels can cause bleeding but in TTS also blood clots.So it isn't surprising one of the deaths is because of bleeding rather than blood clots.It would still be recorded as a death from TTS due to the AZ vaccine.

What's really dangerous about this is that the OP only found this out from Media Watch, who have presumably presented it as a new side effect and cause of death. Which therefore means that thousands who watch that show have had their confidence in AZ smashed again. Absolutely disgusting.

 

[drron]

Plus having a phone line dedicated to medical practitioners is not uncommon with the various heath authorities around Australia.

 

[Flying mermaid]

What's really dangerous about this is that the OP only found this out from Media Watch, who have presumably presented it as a new side effect and cause of death. Which therefore means that thousands who watch that show have had their confidence in AZ smashed again. Absolutely disgusting.

Maybe we need Singapore’s rules on fake news. Not helped by members who clearly have it in for AZ and laps up every bit of bad news about it!

 

[Must...Fly!]

Maybe we need Singapore’s rules on fake news. Not helped by members who clearly have it in for AZ and laps up every bit of bad news about it!

No, I don't want any media censorship at all.

But when our national broadcaster's fact checking program fails to fact check it's own "facts" (especially ones in the medical arena of which it has no apparent expertise) then that should be of serious concern.

 

[Flying mermaid]

No, I don't want any media censorship at all.

But when our national broadcaster's fact checking program fails to fact check it's own "facts" (especially ones in the medical arena of which it has no apparent expertise) then that should be of serious concern.

I don’t want censorship either, but this ability to publish information with no regards to facts is out of control. Journalists, from reputable places, used to take care that what they published was true, now anything seems to go.

 

[Pushka]

SA today. Belongs also in the borders thread.
“We are working in partnership with the Federal Government on both a national home-quarantine pilot, due to start late August, and a digital vaccine passport.

“We are exploring the potential of integrating (it) with the existing SAGov app, which South Australians have been using for Covid check-in.”

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Ok, make of this what you will..

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/h...b/news-story/507c2b8d36cd53cec5072f567e7dd1d7

‘Am I just hallucinating?’: Women reporting VERY unexpected side effect after Pfizer vaccine

Many social media users are celebrating the unforeseen side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine - but it’s coming with a warning.

7news.com.au

No comment

 

[Pushka]

Ok, make of this what you will..

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/h...b/news-story/507c2b8d36cd53cec5072f567e7dd1d7

‘Am I just hallucinating?’: Women reporting VERY unexpected side effect after Pfizer vaccine

Many social media users are celebrating the unforeseen side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine - but it’s coming with a warning.

7news.com.au

No comment

Dammit. Should have held out for Pfizer

 

[mviy]

There’s really no reason they couldn’t start requiring at least one jab to do things now or at least set a date for that in the imminent future. It’s nearly 4 weeks now since almost everyone 18+ has been eligible to get a jab.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

An interesting question is whether Victoria looking at NSW will now prioritise the people in critical industries/historical super spreader spots for vaccination