PM wants review of AstraZeneca age advice

Australia's expert immunisation panel has been urged to consider expanding the age recommendation for AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to people aged under 60, as reported This is Money on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he is making constant appeals to Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), which is advising that the risks of extremely rare blood clots outweigh the benefits of the vaccine for people in that age group.

"When they made the decision to restrict or have a preference for those under the age ultimately of 60 to have the Pfizer vaccine, they said they made that decision on the balance of risk," Morrison said.

"Well, it's for them to now constantly reconsider how that balance of risk applies and provide their advice accordingly," he added.

Australia has ample supplies of AstraZeneca's vaccine doses, which are produced in Melbourne, but there is not yet enough Pfizer imports arriving to vaccinate people aged under 40.

Allen Cheng, the co-chair of the expert immunisation panel, said that "ATAGI is closely monitoring local and international data on thrombosis and thrombocytopenia syndrome and the use of [the] AstraZeneca vaccine."