Patients under 60 in Sydney and other COVID-19 hotspots should consider getting the AstraZeneca vaccine if they’re unable to access the Pfizer option, Australia’s peak immunisation advisory body says.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) also clarifies that patients, including over-60s, can receive the second dose of the viral-vector vaccine 4-8 weeks after the first dose rather than 12 weeks.

The updated guidance is pertinent to the setting of a significant outbreak involving the Delta variant, and previous advice on dose intervals and preferred vaccines remains unchanged for patients outside such areas, ATAGI says.

The revised recommendations follow similar advice from NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant this week urging older patients in Sydney to bring forward their second shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine to six weeks.