Authorities are now concerned about the rise in vaccine hesitancy, as doctors reported a surge in patients cancelling their immunisation appointments after the change was announced.
The federal government announced a change in their recommendations following new advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group in Immunisation.
The AstraZeneca jab is now only recommended for Australian adults aged 60 and above.
This new change was based on the greater assessed risk for young people, of a blood clotting disorder called thrombosis and thrombocytopenia syndrome [[throm-boh-sy-to-pee-nee-ah]], or TTS.
However, the Department of Health is still encouraging those who've received their first dose of AstraZeneca not to cancel appointments for their second.
They said that almost all of the few reported cases of blood-clotting to date have occurred after the first dose of the vaccine, so they're advising people to stay confident if they've already had their first dose without experiencing any serious side effects.
But what's AstraZeneca's future in Australia beyond this?
Earlier this year, Australia secured 53.8 million doses of the vaccine, and plans were made to manufacture 50 million more onshore.
While the vaccine will continue to be available to those 60 and over, it's a far cry from the government's original plan to use it to immunise most people in the country.
