Nationals senator Matt Canavan attracted wide-spread criticism on Tuesday when he suggested Australia should follow the lead of some European countries and suspend use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
A day after the first Hunter healthcare workers have received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the new John Hunter Hospital hub, Senator Matt Canavan said Australia should halt AstraZeneca vaccinations while safety concerns are investigated.
Some European countries have suspended their rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to concerns around blood clots, however, there are no proven links between the vaccine and the clots, a point Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was at pains to make clear.
"The World Health Organisation and the European equivalent of the TGA have both confirmed the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine and have said they have no evidence of that causal link between the vaccine and blood clots. In the United Kingdom they have successfully rolled out that vaccine, more than 12 million doses. They haven't seen that pattern or those trends in those people who have received it," he said.
Senator Canavan's decision to go "off-script" follows that of former Liberal MP Craig Kelly, who quoted University of Newcastle Emeritus Professor Robert Clancy to push his support for drugs hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as ways to fight coronavirus.
With all sorts of conspiracy theories flying around on social media in the modern age, consistency of messaging has never been more important.
That's why we should listen to the experts when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations.
Hunter New England Health chief executive Michael DiRienzo said it was important his staff were vaccinated "so that it protects them and also protects the rest of the community against COVID-19".
The nursing unit manager of the John Hunter Hospital's COVID-19 ward Alexandra Mexon said it makes her "feel a lot safer in the workplace to have the vaccination".
Granted, they've received the Pfizer shots, but as long as the Therapeutic Goods Administration and World Health Organisation are supportive of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Australians should be confident it is safe.
After an anxiety-riddled year where many of us have feared for what the future may hold, the last thing we need is another politician further muddying the waters.
