Thursday, 18 August 2022

COVID-19 vaccination

Mr ANGUS (Forest Hill) (17:18): (6500) I raise a matter of importance for the attention of the Minister for Health. The action I seek is for the minister to provide the updated and amended health advice that finally recognises that the previously touted trial vaccine for COVID-19 does not work. I raise this matter as I have been contacted recently by several constituents following the admission by Victoria’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, on 5 August 2022 that:

Despite two, three, four doses of the vaccine, it’s not so good at preventing infection in the first place. So we are getting infected, that’s why we’ve had tens of thousands of cases in this wave.

However, earlier in the year on 7 April 2022 Professor Sutton stated:

Now is really the most important time to get that third dose to protect you and to protect everyone around you.

He also said:

Getting your third dose protects you against COVID-19, helps prevent you from getting seriously ill and reduces the spread to others.

This dramatic but very welcome reversal is the conclusion that many medical experts worldwide, including here in Victoria, had reached quite some time ago. The evidence is now in, so Victorians now know that the efficacy of the COVID-19 trial vaccine is far less than was initially touted. Given this important revelation it is time for the government to reconsider all COVID-19 vaccine mandates and allow all Victorians to return to work. Many highly qualified medical professionals have contacted me regarding their reasons for not receiving the trial COVID-19 vaccine and the very dramatic consequences that has had for them. In particular, numbers of them have advised me how they have been sacked from their very important and highly skilled jobs. The consequence of the loss of hundreds and hundreds of years of expert medical experience has obviously contributed to the increased strain on the Victorian health system. Sadly this can be starkly and clearly seen by all Victorians.

Minister, I urge you to release this important information to enable all Victorians to understand why, after almost two years of strongly advocating for the COVID-19 vaccine and almost one year of Victorians being mandated to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or suffer the severe consequences, the government has finally realised what many medical experts have been saying for quite some time.