AMA Vice President calls out anti-vaccine misinformation

AMA Vice President Chris Moy says federal politicians who spread anti-vax messages could undermine vaccine confidence.

AMA Vice President Dr Chris Moy was on an ABC TV Weekend Breakfast panel last Sunday saying he supported the Northern Territory’s move to ban unvaccinated arrivals from entering, with only limited exceptions.

“Given the outbreak, particularly in the remote Indigenous communities this is absolutely a reasonable move,” Dr Moy said.

“There would be extreme concern there, at the moment, given the fact that the vaccination rate particularly in that population is running significantly behind the rest of the population, I think it is 52 per cent double vaxxed versus 72 per cent for the rest of the population.

“We’re talking about extremely vulnerable population both physically and in terms of living arrangements and also most importantly a long way from the medical care that they need if COVID deteriorates, and it often deteriorates very quickly.”

Dr Moy also slammed anti-vaccination rhetoric this week, calling views being spread by federal senator, Gerard Rennick, “dangerous.”

A Queensland senator, Mr Rennick made headlines after declaring he would withhold his vote on Government legislation if the federal government did not intervene in state government workplace mandates, which he is against.

Dr Moy told The New Daily Mr Rennick, who has been spreading his message on Facebook, “could directly undermine vaccine confidence and does a great disservice by putting at risk individuals who may not get vaccinated as a result, and by extension the wider community.”

“He’s not a scientist or a doctor bound by ethical principles of their professions; he’s a politician,” Dr Moy said.