In the Australian Financial Review, 13th April 2021, Sam Lovick asks whether possible delays in COVID-19 vaccination resulting from restricted use of the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine to adults over 50 are more costly than the adverse events that might be avoided.

In any pandemic, time to achieve herd immunity is critical in reducing infections, reducimg the risk of mutated vaccine resistant strains, and allowing countries around the world, including Australia, to relax economically costly social distancing measures and border closures. Constraining vaccine use should be viewed in that context.