The rare chance of a blood clot didn't scare James Rule away from getting the AstraZeneca vaccine - he was more frightened of passing on the virus to a vulnerable relative.
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"If they get COVID-19 they'll probably die, and the rest of my family works in healthcare, so they'd already had it done," the 29-year-old software developer from Wollongong, south of Sydney, said.
"It seemed silly that I'd be the only person in the family not vaccinated.
"I wasn't eligible for Pfizer, so I talked to my GP, he said AstraZeneca was fine, and I got it within a week."
AstraZeneca makes up the majority of Australia's vaccine supply, but there is a three-in-100,000 (or 0.003 per cent) risk of people between 20 and 59 developing a life-threatening blood clot after receiving it.
For this reason, it was initially restricted to over-60s, until the highly contagious Delta outbreak in Sydney.
The death rate for COVID-19 cases in the 20-59 age range in NSW is 20 times higher than the risk of a blood clot from the AstraZeneca vaccine.
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Tim Lawson, a 47-year-old teacher, also from Wollongong, has also had the AstraZeneca shot. He said he wanted to protect himself and others from COVID-19.
"I looked at the probability of getting a blood clot, and it was just way too low to worry about," Mr Lawson said.
"I knew I would have to wait to get Pfizer, and I think the quicker everyone gets vaccinated the better. The later you leave it the slower everything is going to get back to normal."
Both experienced some flu-like symptoms in the 24 hours following their vaccination, but say the peace of mind was worth it.
"I feel like I did the right thing - it's a weight off my shoulders," Mr Rule said.
The men said while they understood the hesitation some people feel towards the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, the cure was to ask the experts.
"There's people who are always going to be negative," Mr Lawson said.
"But vaccinations aren't a new thing, we all get vaccinated for so many things already. This is Australia - we have good standards around health care, and you have to put your faith in that system."
