Call to arms: People under 30, it's our time to shine

By the end of the month, all Australians over 16 will be finally able to book their Pfizer appointments.

For so long people in their 20s have been told to wait for their vaccines.

They've helplessly sat by as the government set vaccination targets for reopening, feeling like they could not contribute.

Young people always knew they would be at the back of the vaccine queue. But many didn't think they would still be waiting.

Some of us have spoken to our GPs. We got our AstraZeneca jab. But others have been left puzzled and alarmed by the government's ever-changing messaging.

In the ACT, people in their 20s thought their time was near when Pfizer appointments opened to 30- to 39-year-olds earlier this month.

But as the risk from the Delta outbreak grows, people in their 20s have already shown they are ready to roll up their sleeves.

Younger Canberrans have been particularly eager in the past week. Since the territory's been locked down the number of people in their 20s to get the AstraZeneca jab has surged.

One only needs to look at the ACT's outbreak to see why this is the case.

The median age of infections is 19.5.

ACT deputy chief health officer Dr Vanessa Johnston on Thursday revealed 43 per cent of all Canberra cases were in people aged 17 and younger. Forty-six per cent were aged from 18 to 44.

The Delta variant of COVID-19 has drastically changed the nature of the pandemic.

We know vaccines are our ticket out of this, and younger people are sick of waiting.

READ MORE COVID-19 NEWS:

We are frustrated.

And while the opening of Pfizer to everyone aged over 16 is absolutely fantastic news, it won't be an immediate silver bullet.

Vaccine appointments at the ACT government's Pfizer hubs are booked out until October.

We've been promised more supply is coming, but we don't have an exact date.

The Canberra outbreak has been a huge wake-up call for the city's youth.

We want to get protected as soon as we can.

Our coverage of the health and safety aspects of this outbreak of COVID-19 in the ACT and the lockdown is free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support. You can also sign up for our newsletters for regular updates.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: