There’s been much discussion about the COVID-19 vaccines of late, and the almost constant updates coming out about them. Specifically the news of blood clots emerging after the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson jabs — even though the contraceptive pill is more likely to result in a blood clot, and the fact you’re more likely to die from actual coronavirus than the COVID vaccine (and by a significantly higher margin, too).
This is why, amidst changing government rules regarding vaccines, and potentially billions of dollars lost in a delayed vaccine rollout, Australian doctors are now calling for calm over news regarding blood clots that potentially occur from the vaccine.
According to ABC News, “Doctors have demanded the media be much more cautious in the way blood clot cases are reported in people who have received COVID-19 vaccines” as public confidence in the vaccine program is being “undermined.”
This comes after news was reported last night that a 48-year-old woman, based in NSW, died from blood clots after receiving her first dose of the vaccine. However, early tests have revealed that there is no conclusive link to the vaccine. There is currently no word on what vaccine she received.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) made sure to point out the fact that common blood clots do occur, and affect around 50 Australians each day. In addition to this, the TGA specified “[It] has been confirmed in only two cases out of over 700,000 people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia.”
Australian doctors — and experts in misinformation — are alarmed and concerned about the reporting, specifically focusing on the fact that scrutiny is now “microscopic” on “every single thing” to do with the vaccine, according to Chris Moy, Vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, who spoke to ABC News.
Chris Cooper, who works for Reset Australia — a think tank that is running a campaign to stop vaccine misinformation — says sensationalistic headlines “drives uncertainty about the vaccine.”
In addition to this, he also brought up the fact that anti-vaxxers will find the part of the story that reinforces their view, amplify it on social media, and that this has the potential to “really fuel the misinformation machine.”
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