Australia’s graphic ad on COVID sparks backlash

A vaccine advertisement in Australia with a graphic depiction of a young woman suffering from COVID-19 has sparked a backlash on social media. The ad by the Australian government asks people to get vaccinated as it shows a woman in a hospital bed, hooked up to a ventilator, gasping for air.

The text in the ad read, “COVID-19 can affect anyone…Book your vaccination.” The advertisement has been released under the part of a vaccination campaign, ‘Arm Yourself’ that launched in the nation on Sunday.

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See the ad here:

Critics said that the ad targets young people, which is unfair as people under 40s will only be able to get the vaccine at the end of the year. The government has advised young people to wait for a Pfizer jab instead of AstraZeneca, which is available in Australia currently. The nation is currently facing a shortage of Pfizer vaccine shots.

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Broadcaster Hugh Riminton criticised the ad, tweeting, “Completely offensive to run an ad like this when Australians in this age group are still waiting for their vaccinations.”

The ad is currently being shown only in Sydney, which is dealing with an outbreak of Delta variant of COVID-19 and is in its third week of lockdown.

The city recorded 112 COVID cases on Sunday, taking the tally over 700 cases since the Delta variant first emerged in Sydney in mid-June.

“Totally offensive!” a Twitter user said about the ad, saying it says to ‘book’ an appointment, while another user said, “Why are we targeting young people? Shouldn’t we be targeting the rising rate of vaccine hesitancy in over-55s?”

However, the government defended the ad, as Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said it was “meant to be graphic” to “push the message home”. The ad is about the need to stay at home, get tested and book vaccination appointments.

Paul Kelly said, “We are only doing this because of the situation in Sydney.”

The city recorded its first death this year from the COVID-19 disease on Saturday as the Sydney wave has sparked criticism about the government’s vaccine rollout plan.