Prime Minister Scott Morrison has abandoned all targets for the nationwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. 

Australia's medical experts have recommended against the use of the AstraZeneca jab for under-50s because of concerns about a rare blood clotting disease.

Pfizer is now the “preferred vaccine” for that age group, and given the uncertainties, the government is scrapping its targets for the delivery of the vaccines.

“The government has also not set, nor has any plans to set any new targets for completing first doses,” the PM said in a statement.

“While we would like to see these doses completed before the end of the year, it is not possible to set such targets given the many uncertainties involved.”

Some have seen it as an extremely late admission that the vaccine rollout targets were unlikely to ever have been met. 

Experts have reacted to the government’s decision to accept the advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and prioritise the Pfizer vaccine over the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

Dr Jose Perdomo from the haematology research unit at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) said; “In my opinion this is the correct decision”. 

“Even though the risk of serious thrombosis following AstraZeneca’s vaccination is extremely low, I believe that restoring public confidence in vaccination was a key consideration by ATAGI.”

Senior lecturer in medical sciences, Dr Roger Lord, said it was a very cautious move. 

“The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reported that a possible link might exist between vaccination with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and development of an immune response leading to the development of unusual blood clots which resemble an atypical heparin-induced-thrombocytopenia,” he said. 

“Identification of specific risk factors associated with the event are currently not possible.

“This adverse event is rare with 169 cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and 53 cases of splanchnic vein thrombosis reported from the 34 million people vaccinated in the European Union and UK since 4 April 2021.” 

“No indication is provided by the Australian regulator as to why the AstraZeneca vaccine should not be used for individuals under 50 while Britain’s regulator has set this limit much lower at 30 years.”

At the beginning of this week, over 1.16 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Australia.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd says Mr Morrison is trying “to gaslight Australians” by denying he had ever claimed four million vaccinations would be done by the end of March.