Queensland Trashes Scott Morrison And Demands No One Under 40 Get AstraZeneca Jab

Queensland has broken ranks with the Prime Minister's declaration about the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

Scott Morrison revealed earlier this week that anyone under the age of 40 could now receive the AZ jab.

The federal government would provide GPs with an indemnity scheme to ensure they don't get implicated if someone wants to get the jab. The previous advice has been Pfizer for anyone under 50 due to the extremely rare risk of blood clotting for those who got the the AstraZeneca vaccine.

While there were plenty of Aussies all around the country who called their GP and booked an appointment immediately, Queensland authorities were left scratching their heads.

The Premier and Chief Health Officer have since told citizens not to follow the Prime Minister's advice, which is both incredibly confusing and strange.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: "I do not want under 40s to get AstraZeneca. Because they are at increased risk of getting - it is rare, but they are at increased risk of getting the rare clotting syndrome.

Ms Palaszczuk also hit out at the idea that the advice he gave on Monday (June 28) night was finalised after members of the national cabinet agreed on it.

She said the cabinet did not agree on giving the AZ jab and told reporters today: "There has been no national cabinet decision about providing AstraZeneca to under-40s.

"Let me say that again - there's been no national cabinet decision about providing AstraZeneca to the under-40s.

"I'd like to ask the Prime Minister, did his cabinet make that decision? Now, in Queensland, we always follow the advice of the chief health officer. So I urge Queenslanders to listen to Dr Young, and follow the advice of our chief health officer. Also, we follow the medical advice. And the medical advice is very clear."

Questions are being asked all over the shop and health authorities are trying to clarify how to proceed. While the indemnity scheme was announced on Monday, it wasn't clear how it would be implemented.

Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young added: "I haven't been able to talk to him and to understand his thought processes," she told reporters at the press conference.

"The Premier announced in national cabinet that there wasn't a discussion, so I genuinely don't understand his processes.

"I know an urgent meeting has been called by the Commonwealth today with chief health officers to talk this through, so I'm sure I will find out more."

Dr Young said Queenslanders under 40 should instead stick to the Pfizer jab.

"I don't want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who - if they got COVID - probably wouldn't die," she said.

"So we are not in a position that I need to ask young, fit, healthy people to put their health on the line getting a vaccine that could potentially significantly harm them."

The best advice we can give you is to contact your GP and ask them questions on what you should do.

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