QLD cautions allergic on Morrison’s vaccine

The blows keep coming for the Morrison Government’s poorly sourced, poorly managed, and increasingly poorly thought of, vaccine rollout. From Courier Mail:

Of course, you do. The Australian people not so much. Via the AFR:

• Doctors concerned over questions about the AstraZeneca vaccine procured by the Morrison Government have been threatened by the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA).
• They are not even allowed to discuss the relative merits of different vaccines.
• “We all … live in fear with a Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, should we offend AHPRA,” emergency doctor and outspoken social media commentator David Berger told the ABC’s Health Report on Monday.“There is a strong argument the Australian government has failed in its procurement policy in this greatest national crisis since World War II and that the country has ended up with a vaccination policy which many would argue is not the best for purpose … and now we see that doctors are being suppressed … and very clearly warned off criticism.”

The “procurement policy” was a rushed, politically staged event managed through the game of mates so let’s not be overly shocked by the outcome:

Probity in action

PM Morrison yesterday was forthright about the safety of the AZ version and insisted that we all get it. But, of course, his own preference was to get the Pfizer jab instead. It works with greater efficacy as well as better on variants. Nor does it have a dark cloud hanging over it in terms of side effects, real or imagined.

Last night Sweden and Latvia paused their rollouts of the AZ jab while Thailand resumed with it. Various EU medical bodies declared it safe in risk/reward terms. Italy launched a manslaughter case after one man perished following his shot. After the autopsy, he was declared dead from unrelated causes. France and Italy hinted they may lift the suspensions soon.

All of this has done serious harm to community faith the AZ vaccine:

Europeans say no to ScoMo

Local health authorities are still demanding Australians continue to get the vaccine. But with the newsflow outrunning them willingness is going to fall. The latest Essential Report may already show the thin end of the wedge of falling confidence here as well:

Anxiety rising

The Morrison Government has already led Australia backward to all but last on the global rollout:

Last among equals

At this stage the evidence of AZ blood clotting side effects is slim. It is very likely safe. But that does not excuse a hapless rollout that is last in the developed world, dogged by questions of safety and inefficacy. Other countries’ procurement policies delivered either more efficacious vaccines or a range of choices much faster in anticipation of such hiccups.

As usual, PM Morrison policy process privileged mates and marketing over national interest and you.