Similar claims were made against the grim reaper ad,with some criticising it as unintentionally stigmatising the gay community.
Other medical experts disagreed with Mr Bowtell about the ad,saying its strength was that it made clear how bad severe COVID could be even if it did not show full ventilation. Australian Medical Association vice-president Chris Moy said viewers should set aside any scepticism about the ads based on their lateness or Australia’s past success in suppressing transmission of the coronavirus.
“This is telling a real story,” Dr Moy said of the more graphic ad. “People need to understand what getting COVID badly means.”
University of Adelaide vaccinologist Helen Marshall said while older people were typically more severely affected by the coronavirus,the ad made an important point that every age group can be affected. “I think it’s important for people to understand the reality,” Professor Marshall said.
Five people in NSW were on ventilators because of COVID-19 on Sunday. Seven people in intensive care with the coronavirus were under 55,including a person in their 20s and another in their teens.
“The Delta variant is much more infectious and is impacting younger cohorts more than previous variants,” a federal government spokesman said,emphasising that health and aged care workers could book to get Pfizer while anyone above 18 can speak to their GP about AstraZeneca.
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