Aussie Doctor Perfectly Sums Up Risk With AstraZeneca Vaccine

There has been a lot of worry and stress around the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

Several people have died in Australia after getting the jab and the government previously mandated that it was only available to people over 50.

However, that advice has since changed and people under that age limit are now eligible to get the jab if they've had a chat with their GP.

An Australian doctor has also sought to calm fears about the vaccine by putting the risk into perspective.

Responding to a question from a 30-year-old with no pre-existing health conditions, Dr Zac Turner explained on a News Corp article about how the AZ vaccine is relatively safe.

"Did you know the risk of blood-clotting when taking the female contraception pill is 1 in 1000, while the risk with the AstraZeneca vaccine is 1 in 100,000?" the doctor said.

"You don't see media campaigns blaming politicians about the pill being available for Australian women, do you? The risk of dying from Viagra is 1 in 20,000 but men still take it daily.

"If you want to talk numbers, the chance of dying from being struck by lightning is 1 in 138,849, sunstroke is 1 in 8,248, a pedestrian incident is 1 in 543 and cancer is 1 in 7.

"Remember - 30,000 Australians have blood clots every year, that's 82 a day. It's all about perspective."

The doctor explained how all sorts of vaccines can cause side effects and there's no doubt that the person who asked the question has already weighed up the risk for other types of jabs.

He added that getting mild symptoms from the vaccine is common because it's your body producing an immune response to fight the virus.

If you're feeling a little under the weather, that's your body's sign that it's learning to overcome Covid-19 and that means you'll be able to lesson your symptoms if you encounter the virus.

"There is no question that the current vaccines are effective and safe. The risk of severe reaction to a Covid-19 jab is outweighed by the protection it offers against the deadly coronavirus," he said.

"Let's be clear, it is perfectly normal to have a sore arm, headache, and fatigue in the first two days after being vaccinated. It's a great sign of your immune system doing its job and operating perfectly."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie