The Medical Administrator in Melbourne, Australia, Doctor Qalo Sukabula has highlighted that Australia has approved the use of AstraZeneca vaccines for people below the age of 60 years and they have seen a rise in the number of young people getting vaccinated.
While responding to a question on the Bula Ko Lau discussion forum, Dr Sukabula says the Australian Government has given its approval and people will have to decide whether they would want to take it or not according to the research they carried out.
He says the very rare blood clot is one of the side-effects of using AstraZeneca vaccine but people have to be mindful that the ratio of people dying from blood clot is far lower than the number people dying from the virus itself.
The European Medicines Agency says based on its analysis of more than 190 million doses of the vaccine being administered, 182 cases of very rare clots had been reported.
He adds the Australia Medical Association supports the use of the vaccine in the country.
Health Minister Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete says there has been a lot of misinformation out in the public that this vaccine is causing deaths but he wants to assure the people that through their investigation no such cases have been proven in Fiji.
He says people should inform them if they know of such cases.
Dr Waqainabete says they also have the medicines and the resources to deal with a person suffering from the rare blood clots.
