The federal government updated its health advice on Thursday 8 April, recommending those under 50 years old get the Pfizer jab instead of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Dr Jenny Doust, a practicing GP and clinical professorial research fellow at the University of Queensland, said that because women take the pill every day the risk of developing blood clots is technically lower with the pill than with the vaccine.
Emeritus Professor of General Practice at the University of Queensland, Dr Geoff Mitchell says for younger people, the risk of getting really sick from COVID is a lot less. The burden of clotting is different and so you’d be more hesitant to prescribe the AstraZeneca vaccine. He says that this side effect is so rare that it didn't arise in trials.
"But when using millions of doses then rare things are going to start to show up and, to my knowledge, the Pfizer vaccine has not had that particular side affect show up"
Click on the audio icon in the picture above to listen to the news bulletin in Punjabi.
