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âFair cop,â admits the ABCâs resident coronavirus expert Norman Swan. âI probably did cause some vaccine hesitancy.â
Swan is reflecting on months of controversy over Australiaâs vaccine rollout in which he was an active and early critic, sounding the alarm over the efficacy of the AstraZeneca jab and its involvement in a very rare but dangerous clotting disorder.
The doctor is in: Norman Swan has helped millions of Australians better understand the COVID-19 pandemic.
Credit:Nic Walker
In February, federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt batted away a question about whether Swan was Australiaâs leading anti-vaxxer, and Swan says a Coalition MP he knows well texted him accusing him of being âsingle-handedly responsible for vaccine hesitancy in Australiaâ.
How Norman Swan became Australia s COVID-19 reference point
theage.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theage.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
How Norman Swan became Australia s COVID-19 reference point
brisbanetimes.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from brisbanetimes.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fragments of Covid-19 have been found in a Sydney sewage plant that serves 40,000 people across 15 suburbs.
NSW Health issued the alert on Friday morning after the particles were discovered at the Homebush wastewater network site, in the city s west.
The catchment area includes Homebush West, Strathfield, Rookwood, Concord West, Sydney Olympic Park, Wentworth Point, Newington, Lidcombe, Homebush, Silverwater, Petersham, Liberty Grove, Rhodes, North Strathfield and Concord.
The state has not recorded any new community cases in more than two weeks.
Pictured: A nurse collecting a Covid-19 test sample at the Bondi drive-through testing clinic on May 6, 2021
NSW issues a Covid019 alert (pictured) for 15 Sydney suburbs on Friday morning after particles were found in a sewage treatment plant
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the government will be focusing on encouraging Australians aged 50 and over to get vaccinated, rebuffing calls for a more targeted communications campaign to counter vaccine hesitancy. We ll continue to have the conversation with the rest of the population about their concerns that they may have and the best place to have that discussion is with your GP, he said.
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He said the government s $40 million spend on advertising is focusing on those who are happy to get vaccinated. He flagged that older Australians - aged over 50 and 70 - will be the focus of a new media campaign encouraging vaccinations to be launched in coming weeks.