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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Talia Shadwell

Doctor suggests anti-vaxxers shouldn't be allowed ventilators if they get coronavirus

A doctor has suggested anti-vaxxers should not be allowed ventilators if they catch coronavirus.

The German geneticist insisted that vaccine-skeptics who spread misinformation about the pandemic should be denied intensive care.

Dr Wolfram Henn told German publication Bild he believes anti-vaxxer should carry a card explaining they don't want to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

The human geneticist at Saarland University and member of the Federal Government's Ethics Council spoke as anti-lockdown protests continue to spread around Europe and the UK, despite the second wave wreaking havoc.

Demonstrations against government measures to control the spread of the virus have also attracted the conspiracy theorist fringes.

Dr Wolfram Henn told German publication Bild he believes anti-vaxxers should not be allowed ventilators if they catch Covid-19 (Getty Images)

Anti-vax signs and placards baselessly claiming the pandemic is a hoax, was caused by the 5G mobile phone network are frequently seen at demonstrations.

Speaking to German newspaper Bild, Dr Henn said: "Whoever wants to refuse the vaccination outright, he should, please also always carry a document with the inscription: 'I don't want to be vaccinated! I want to leave the protection against the disease to others! I want, if I get sick, to leave my intensive care bed and ventilator to others."

Dr Henn said he felt empathy for people who were concerned about the speed of Covid-19 vaccine candidates' development.

Some of the opposition to the vaccine has come amid concerns about the speed at which the likes of the new Pfizer jab has been developed.

However the vaccine currently being rolled out in the UK has been declared safe for use.

Dr Henn said he felt sympathy for people concerned about the speed of the vaccine's development (Getty Images)

Scientists around the world have emphasised that the usual process for developing vaccines is in ordinary times impacted by funding challenges.

This year, vaccines including Pfizer have been fast-tracked with Governments' backing in response to the urgency of the pandemic.

The formulations were being evaluated by independent experts even while they were in the human trial phases.

Dr Henn said his primary concern was with conspiracy theorists who spread false information about vaccines and the pandemic on social media.

He said: "I urgently recommend that these alarmists go to the nearest hospital and present their conspiracy theories to the doctors and nurses who have just come from the overcrowded intensive care unit completely exhausted," he said.

According to Ladbible, in another interview with Germany's WDR, Dr Henn assured doctors always treat people who are sick, regardless of their views.

"The speed didn't come at the expense of quality and safety. The speed was made possible on the one hand by the administrative acceleration in the approval process and on the other hand by the fact that the pace was accelerated with enormous - also state-funded - effort," he said.

The rise of conspiracy theories surrounding the vaccine has been a worrying development which could hinder the inoculation of the nation (Getty Images)

"If you need 40,000 test subjects, then if there is no time pressure you can vaccinate 4,000 per year. Then you need ten years. Or - as it happened here - 40,000 within six months. There wasn't skimp on quality.

"It is perfectly clear that in the end no one will forego treatment in an emergency. The point is that people who are very critical very quickly and say what they are against should say what they are for instead. And if they turn against something, then they should really think through the consequences of their actions to the end."

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