Australia health officials have been forced to belatedly raise the age for AZ again from 50 to 60 after another blood clot death.

Paul Kelly, CHO, Australia: I will point out that this remains an extremely rare event to get these serious clots. (The woman’s death) is clearly concerning … but I would say this – we have made those decisions based on the risk and benefit equation. At the moment, the AstraZeneca is a really important element of the vaccine rollout.

See, Taiwan, that's the way to do it - just keep denying there's a problem and talk about risk-benefit.

Never mind the data that says AZ is the same as a placebo against the SA variant and likely others - think of the benefit to our drug manufacturing industry!

Here's a recap.

• International reports of problems with AZ surfaced well before Australia's AZ roll-out began
  
• Most European countries suspended use and/or limited it to over 60's while several banned it outright, including South Africa, Japan and Denmark. The US refused to give it approval due to dodgy data from an AZ trial. Still hasn't approved it.
  
• None of that stopped Australia's experts from talking it up and administering it - mainly coz our version of WIV, CSL, had started manufacturing it. At this stage there were no age-limits and people were castigated for asking for Pfizer while anyone who asked questions was labelled a 'conspiracy theorist' along with the loonies who were suggesting Covid could have leaked from a lab.
  
• As reports mounted here and overseas of blood clots, the experts first claimed there was "no evidence", then when it became impossible to get away with that lie any longer, they announced that those under 50 would be given the option to have Pfizer - though under 50's were still offered AZ by doctors. Meanwhile cases of blood clots in people 40+ kept surfacing despite the media's best efforts to suppress the news.
  
• Now we have a new announcement that the age limit has been raised to 60 - along with the following statements:

Paul Kelly, CHO: It is a difficult thing we have learned in this pandemic (AZ causes blood clots). We need to keep track of the new advice that comes along and act on it. We adapt, we’re adapting again today.

Greg Hunt, Health Minister: (We're being) very cautious. It was a difficult decision, but it was the right decision. We had very clear medical advice from the people who’ve helped keep us safe.

Cautious!? New advice?! Keeping us safe!? You lying fucking pricks. The advice has been there all along. If we can read and report published data from around the world, then why can't you?