Bureaucracy denies Connor Meldrum vital Covid jab ahead of operation

Connor Meldrum’s mother is “furious and devastated” about the harrowing situation they are in after a bureaucratic nightmare denied him a vital Covid vaccination, just days before his brain operation.

COVID BORDER CONFUSION: In 2019 Connor Meldrum fell from the cliff face at Cape Byron and shattered his skull. Now ahead of his latest life saving operation, confusion over border Covid vaccinations means he may be more susceptible to infection after his August 23 surgery in Brisbane. Photo by Natalie Grono

Northern Rivers teenager Connor Meldrum – who shattered his skull in a cliff fall in 2019 – is due undergo a potentially life-saving operation on Monday.

However his mother is furious that “officious administrators” have refused her son a vital Covid vaccination.

Kim Goodrick said she and Connor relocated to Brisbane last week ahead of his brain operation scheduled at the Mater Hospital.

Despite following advice from the Queensland Covid Hotline, her son was denied the NDIS approved Pfizer vaccination.

Ms Goodrick said it was a “harrowing” situation and a bureaucratic nightmare.

“As Connor has no skull (as the result of the cliff fall), skin is attached to the dura which is the top covering of the brain,” she said,

“This skin has to be separated then a plate of polished 3-D printed acrylic is inserted.

“Because there is a 30 per cent failure rate due to infection, we were desperate to have Connor vaccinated against Covid before the operation.”

Connor Meldrum, 17, is in Brisbane ahead of his latest brain surgery operation on August 23, 2021. Despite being told he was eligible for the Covid vaccination, there appears to be confusion between different departments within Queensland Health and a clinic there allegedly told his mother they would not give him the jab and to “go home”.

Ms Goodrick said the pair “literally jumped in the car” to get across the border to make sure he would be able to undergo the much needed surgery.

“We relocated to Brisbane on Thursday, 12th August as we were extremely concerned about potential cross-border issues and their impact on Connor’s surgery, scheduled for Monday, 23rd August,” she said.

“In light of all current Covid advice, I registered Connor for his Pfizer vaccine and managed to book him in for at appointment.

“However, at the site, we were told by not just one, but two officious administrators that Connor could not receive the vaccination.”

Ms Goodrick said she was devastated when Covid clinic staff told her to “go home” and refused to vaccinate her son.

“This is extremely distressing as we are more at risk in Brisbane of Covid than we are at home in Eureka in rural NSW,” she said.

“In fact, we’d much rather be at home but we’re scared that this type of miscommunication would happen at the border, meaning that my son would miss this important surgery.”

Ms Goodrick said despite being assured by the relevant health authorities that Connor was eligible to have a Covid vaccination in Queensland, the two members of staff at a Queensland Covid clinic were unhelpful.

“It was absolutely ridiculous that the person at the vaccination centre would not even talk to the person the phone from the Queensland Covid hotline,” she said.

“This is despite me showing them the web page and having someone on the Queensland Covid hotline telling me that he was entitled to receive his vaccine.

“They just told me to ‘go home’.

“Not only was this extremely infuriating but it raises real concerns about the inability of untrained staff on the ground to listen to people and read the information, before making poor decisions.”

Ms Goodrick said there needed to be a more efficient method of navigating the border during times of medical urgency.

“In Northern NSW we rely so heavily on Queensland for medical needs,” she said.

“There should be in place some kind of very clear system to cater for the situations such a mother in labour or parents with children suffering from life threatening conditions.”