With the most recent COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns currently going on across the country, there is pressure to speed up Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine roll out.
It is reported that over six million Australians (30% of those eligible) have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 3.8 million of those receiving their first dose as AstraZeneca. While the benefits of vaccination are well known, there are reports of people cancelling their appointments for dose 2 due to concerns about thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).
Current UK data suggests that the risk of developing TTS is far lower following dose 2 AstraZeneca, with a rate of approximately 1 in 1.5 million doses.
Completing a 2 dose course of COVID-19 vaccines is important in order to reach optimal levels of protection. One dose of COVID-19 AstraZeneca offers 33% protection against the Delta strain of the virus currently circulating Sydney. This protection almost doubles to 60% once the second dose has been completed.
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The Conversation: Should I get my second AstraZeneca dose? Yes, it almost doubles your protection against Delta