The latest Australian vaccination advertisement has caused a stir among the citizens in Australia.
Many have been criticizing the feature of a young girl in the advertisement who is shown suffering for oxygen.
The government video advertisement has showed a young woman in a hospital on the ventilator gasping for breathe .
‘Book Your Vaccine’
The caption reads: “Covid-19 can affect anyone … Book your vaccine.”
But critics say the ad is unfairly aiming at younger population, especially given the fact they are going to have access to vaccines only by the end of the year.
Official health advice from the authorities also recommends that young people should wait for the Pfizer jab instead of taking the available AstraZeneca jab. Australia is short of Pfizer vaccine supply.
Ad Played In Sydney
The video ad that aims to promote vaccines is currently only being played in Sydney. The city is at high risk of Delta variant outbreak and is now in its third week of closures.
Authorities reported 112 new cases on Monday, more than 700 cases since they began appearing in mid-June.
‘Arm Yourself’ Vaccine Campaign
The release of this ad is part of a larger ‘Arm Yourself’ vaccination campaign launched on Sunday by the Australian government and health aurhorities.
“Completely offensive to run an ad like this when Australians in this age group are still waiting for their vaccinations,” tweeted broadcaster Hugh Riminton.
“Why are we targeting young people? Shouldn’t we be looking at a growing level of skepticism about vaccines for people over 55?” Tweeted another Twitter user.
Others, including health workers, called for the clip to be removed from circulation, calling it “insensitive”.
First COVID Death In A Year
But the government has stood by this ad.
Australian Health Officer Paul Kelly said “We are only doing this because of the situation in Sydney”.
On Sunday, authorities in Sydney officially recorded the death of the first person since the outbreak – the first to be deceased in over a year.
Currently, just a little more than 10% of people are completely vaccinated.
