COVID-19 INQUIRY: AstraZeneca Claims TGA Made It Difficult to Counter Vaccine Hesitancy

‘Media reporting resulted in public confusion regarding vaccine eligibility and led to vaccine hesitancy amongst members of the public,’ AstraZeneca said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison holds a vial of AstraZeneca vaccine Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 12, 2021. David Caird/Pool/Getty Images

AstraZeneca has said the rollout of its COVID-19 vaccine was impacted by “public misperception,” and has blamed Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for preventing the pharmaceutical company from countering the “incorrect claims” about its vaccine.

The claim by AstraZeneca follows the publication of more than 2,000 submissions to the federal government’s COVID-19 Response Inquiry, in which a submission from the federal health department revealed that it moderated more than 50,000 comments each month at the height of the pandemic.