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Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s unscripted slip of the tongue at a press conference last week led to days of chaos between state premiers, chief health officers and medical bodies about who exactly could and should get the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“The advice does not preclude persons under 60 from getting the AstraZeneca vaccine. And so if you wish to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, then we would encourage you to ah, go and have that discussion with your GP,” Morrison said.

But those words also offered a glimmer of hope to young Australians. For months we’ve been desperate to get vaccinated. For months we’ve assumed our own vaccinations would have to wait as a sluggish rollout struggled to reach those most at risk. And for months we’ve watched some of those eligible for AstraZeneca dither, happy to wait it out until their choice of vaccine becomes available.

That gnawing frustration, deepened by Sydney’s return to lockdown, meant that once Morrison opened the floodgates the choice become easy for me. Suddenly a vaccination felt within reach. When a fellow press gallery journalist tweeted about getting an AstraZeneca vaccine booked in Canberra that day, I quickly messaged her. Within minutes I was locked in for the next afternoon.

After months spent waiting, documenting the slow train wreck of the vaccine rollout, the whole experience was oddly straightforward. That experience isn’t universal. Later that afternoon, the clinic I was at, heaving with under 40s, ran out of doses. There’s also little consistency — numerous other GPs are turning away under 40s, pointing to advice from ATAGI that due to the rare risk of blood clots, Pfizer is the preferred vaccine for them.

But my experience also points to another theme among young people. Most are using informal channels — DMs, group chats and the like — to secure their bookings. In Sydney, several friends told me they booked Pfizer shots by using links meant for families of health workers which are doing the rounds. The links normally ask you to fill out a form and requests your birth date. But you can still secure the booking even if you’re not technically old enough. It’s a loophole many are exploiting.

Edward,* who was unclear about his eligibility after discussions with his doctor despite being immunocompromised, had no qualms about using a link sent by a friend whose sister is a nurse. Sarah* got passed on a link to be part of a Pfizer trial for testing antibodies. People in their 20s are getting vaccinated at Randwick, Westmead, Liverpool and other centres across Sydney. All you really need is to know someone who knows a health worker. The group chats are blowing up with “secret” links.

But others told me they felt guilty about “jumping the queue”, especially when there are still people working in high-risk settings like aged care unvaccinated. In a rollout, where the country must strike the balance between getting as many shots as possible while prioritising those at greatest risk, the moral question of whether young people should jump the queue is a complex one, says University of Sydney bioethicist Diego Silva.

He says three weeks ago when there was widespread “vaccine malaise” — particularly among some older Australians, and a federal government adamant the rollout wasn’t a race — it made sense for younger people to bypass the system when they could. But outbreaks and lockdowns across Australia’s biggest cities have changed the calculus — suddenly everyone wants a vaccine, changing the ethics of how we should allocate dwindling Pfizer stocks.

Still Silva says responsibility for the disorderliness of the vaccine queue lies with the federal government. That people are going underground is a reflection of the truly broken state of the rollout — from chronic supply shortages to garbled, shifting messaging. Amid all that, younger Australians watching the world open up just want a return to normal.

“I think it points to the frustration that certainly millennial and gen Z Australians feel — and their frustration is very real. They’re seeing older generations of Australians taking their time,” he said. “When you’re in your 20s and 30s you want to get off the island and see the world.”

But Fortress Australia will be baked in for months. Under 40s are not likely to be able to access Pfizer or Moderna vaccines through less underground means until September or October. The frustration among young Australians isn’t going away.

Yesterday NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard likened the vaccine rollout to The Hunger Games. He’s got a point. Many younger Australians are happy to do slightly morally dubious and risky things to get a needle in their arms. In the end, it might all be for the greater good.

*Name withheld