Australians who are waiting to get an organ transplant will reportedly be denied their procedures until they have no less than two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, even if the procedure is lifesaving in nature.
The Courier-Mail reported that the Queensland Kidney Transplant Service endorsed a minimum COVID-19 vaccine demand of at least two doses of the vaccine for patients seeking a kidney, lung, or heart transplant procedure.
Many organ transplant patients told the outlet they were hesitant to receive the vaccine before their procedure for fear of side effects that may harm their health.
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Under the new mandate, patients will be moved to an "on hold" status until they get the required doses of the vaccine. The choice to mandate the vaccine was backed by clinicians, consumers, and Indigenous representatives throughout a Statewide Renal Network clinical forum. The policy will be reviewed in February 2022, according to the Courier-Mail.
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"A recipient is highly immunosuppressed post-transplant, which is why it's incredibly important for the person to be vaccinated prior to transplant. Queensland Health priorities safety before, during, and after a transplant," a Queensland spokesperson stated.
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Patient Dana Ward, 23, who is unvaccinated and suffers from primary hyperoxaluria, announced she was told it would be a waste of an organ if she got COVID-19 after her procedure.
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"I have been told that if I received a kidney and then got COVID, it would be a waste of an organ. I even have a donor ready to go, but it's been made clear nothing will go ahead until I am fully vaccinated," Ward stated. "Because of my ill health, I have always been hyper careful of what I put in my body. I am definitely not anti-vax but am afraid of the COVID vaccine's side effects. I am backed into a corner now and probably have to go ahead with the vaccine."
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A different unvaccinated patient, Helen Oberthur, 44, who has stage four kidney disease, explained she feels like she is "cornered" and is very uncomfortable with the thought of getting the vaccine.
"I have had every other vaccine including the flu, and it's not been good. I have ended up so sick [that] I had to get someone to look after my son. I am not good with vaccinations and feel like I am cornered. I think it is blatant discrimination to deny me a place on a waiting list because of this. I just found out about the new policy this week and feel overwhelmed by it all," Oberthur announced.
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