An Australian vaccine advertisement depicting a young woman gasping for breath in a hospital bed while hooked up to a ventilator, has sparked severe backlash from critics.
The text of the advertisement reads: “Covid-19 can affect anyone…Book your vaccination.”
Critics state that the advertisement unfairly targets young people, especially considering the fact that people under 40 will only be able to access the vaccines at the end of the year.
Health officials have also advised young people to wait for the Pfizer vaccine instead of getting the available AstraZeneca vaccine, however Australia currently has a shortage of Pfizer vaccines.
The advert is currently only being shown in Sydney, which is in the grips of a Delta outbreak and in their third week of lockdown.
The release of the advert forms part of the “Arm Yourself” vaccination campaign that was launched on Sunday.
“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 targeting the rising rate of vaccine hesitancy in over-55s?” said another Twitter user.
Others, including health professionals, called for the clip to be taken off air, calling it “insensitive”.
However, the government has defended the advert saying that, “We are only doing this because of the situation in Sydney.” The Sydney wave has sparked widespread criticism of their vaccine rollout.
Australia’s Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said it was “meant to be graphic” to “push the message home” about the need to stay home, get tested and book in vaccines.
Just over 10% of the population has been fully vaccinated.
Sources: BBC, CNN
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