‘Life and death situation’: Unvaccinated mum challenges hospital’s ‘no jab, no heart’ policy
A mum-of-two being denied a lifesaving transplant under a “no jab, no heart” policy claims she is being “punished” for refusing the Covid vaccine.
A Melbourne mum being denied a lifesaving transplant under a “no jab, no heart” policy has accused the hospital of “ideological” discrimination for refusing the Covid vaccine.
Vicki Derderian, 47, has been on mechanical life support since 2020 after her heart failed and is desperate for a transplant, but The Alfred Hospital deemed her ineligible to be placed on the organ donor waiting list because she is not vaccinated against Covid.
“I think it’s a form of punishment,” she said.
“They’re set in their ways — basically it’s ‘no jab, no heart’. There is no long-term study on the efficacy of vaccines on pre- and post-transplant patients. I have a legal exemption from ATAGI which they are refusing to acknowledge.”
Despite widespread public attention on her case, Alfred Health is refusing to budge, offering only to meet with Ms Derderian to discuss her “vaccination concerns”.
The mother-of-two suffers from a rare auto-immune disorder called sarcoidosis and is concerned about the risk of heart conditions such as myocarditis or pericarditis associated with the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines.
Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart, is a known but rare side effect of the mRNA vaccines, reported in around two out of every 100,000 people but more commonly among boys and young men.
Ms Derderian is challenging Alfred Health’s decision in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), alleging discrimination under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010.
The case was heard over four days between October and March, with closing submissions on Tuesday this week.
Advocate Serene Teffaha, who is representing Ms Derderian, said during the proceedings she asked Alfred Health’s representatives if they were “aware of deaths and serious adverse events” from the vaccines but was told they “haven’t observed” anything.
But in March last year, Deakin University student Natalie Boyce, 21, died at The Alfred from heart complications, five weeks after receiving the Moderna booster shot.
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/life-and-death-situation-unvaccinated-mum-challenges-hospitals-no-jab-no-heart-policy/news-story/b497e535e3647d3891b7eb58c61b3c47