NEWS IN BRIEF
UNITED KINGDOM
AUSTRALIA
COVID-19 vaccine systems: a Victorian health service can fire template for other health goals nurses who refuse COVID-19 vaccine, The vaccine infrastructure created for COVID-19 court rules should be maintained for other illnesses, says health-policy expert.
Developing a global adult-vaccination program out of the infrastructure built for COVID-19 would be as profound a legacy for public health as the creation of the United Nations out of the ruins of the second world war was for international relations, says Sir John Bell, former president of Britain’s Academy of Medical Sciences. “COVID-19 has cost millions of lives and exposed weaknesses in public health care. We have a moral responsibility to learn from it, act and save others,” he wrote in The Economist. “In the past, it was impossible to imagine a global adultvaccination programme. Today it is realistic. This is because the pandemic has accelerated advances in vaccine development, manufacturing and delivery, as well as the build-out of technology systems, health centres and trained staff.” This infrastructure should now be applied to other adult vaccines and injectable medication, he argues. “Vaccine technology has progressed dramatically. A new generation of tools will soon be available to tackle many of the most dangerous pathogens in the world.” These medical tools will be effective not only against infectious diseases, but long-acting injectable therapies will also be available against cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, he said.
An injunction to stop Victoria’s largest public health service from firing nurses who refuse the COVID-19 vaccination or refusing to disclose their vaccination status was thrown out by the federal court in November.
A group of 90 nurses from Monash Health argued before the court that they should have been consulted before any disciplinary action was taken against them. The health service was acting on a directive from Victoria’s chief health officer under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic), which made it clear that health workers must be fully vaccinated, having received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by 29 October in order to work in a healthcare setting. They had to provide evidence of vaccination to their employer. In the federal court, Justice John Snaden said the public health directions did not permit Monash to do anything else other than terminate employment. He dismissed the nurses’ argument that they should have been consulted before disciplinary action was implemented. He described their case as “at best, weak”. Chris O’Grady QC, representing Monash Health, said the employer had simply been following the chief health officer’s directions. “In light of the CHO directions, it goes without saying that anyone working in the health sector is going to have difficulty working in that sector, absent their willingness to either be vaccinated or disclose their vaccination status,” he said.
‘ COVID-19 has cost millions of lives and exposed The Supreme Court has also rejected several challenges weaknesses in public to NSW Public Health Orders as has the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. health care. We have a The Federal Court judge described moral responsibility to the nurses’ case as ‘at best, weak’. learn from it, act and save others.’ — Sir John Bell
36 | THE LAMP DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022
