Australia drops vaccine rollout target amid concerns about AstraZeneca shot

Australia last week said it is guiding against giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to people under the age of 50.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he won’t set a new target date for all Australians to receive their first Covid-19 vaccine dose, as health concerns about the AstraZeneca Plc shot and European export restrictions delay the rollout.

While the government wants to see first doses administered “before the end of the year, it is not possible to set such targets given the many uncertainties involved,” Morrison said in a Facebook post on Sunday. Still, he said Australia’s rollout was ahead of some nations including Japan, France and Canada.

About 1.2 million people in the nation of 25.8 million have received a first