Leading paediatrician Dr Christopher Ingall likens Covid vaccine hesitancy to a highway black spot

“Nothing changes until you get that fatal crash, then the roundabout or stop signs come in... people need to see a disease upfront before they will believe in it.”

HIGHWAY BLACK SPOT: Northern Rivers leading paediatrician Dr Chris Ingall, said people working in aged and health care and refusing to be vaccinated is akin to driving at high speed through a highway back spot and not putting in a stop sign or roundabout until someone dies. Photo: Marc Stapelberg.

“Do people have to die before people will step up and get their Covid vaccination?”

This is the question being asked by leading Northern Rivers paediatrician, Dr Christopher Ingall.

He has called on the community to look out for our most vulnerable members by getting a jab, wearing a mask and staying at home.

Dr Ingall likened the Delta variant of the virus to a dangerous intersection that people still drove through at high speed.

“It’s almost like a black spot on the highway,” he said.

“Nothing changes until you get that fatal crash, then the roundabout or stop signs come in.”

Dr Ingall said he was very concerned that people who worked in the health care and aged care professions were choosing to avoid vaccination opportunities.

“I would hate to think that someone has to die before mandatory vaccination of all health care and aged care workers is in place,” he said.

“Unfortunately, it seems we have got to the point of the carrot and stick to keep people safe.

“The stick is to say we fully respect your right to be unvaccinated, but the risk you pose to the elderly and frail is too great from a medical perspective and we cannot let this continue.

“So people working in these professions will need to find another industry to work in.”

Dr Ingall said he had seen instances of people who did not think tetanus was still a health risk until they needed to be treated.

He said the tragedy was that people who were caring and compassionate and doing all they could to keep themselves and those they loved safe, were at risk from the selfish minority.

“Covid is not a government conspiracy,” he said.

“But I think that people feeling disenfranchised and their views not heard and this is what we are up against, that people need to see a disease upfront before they will believe in it.

“The only way to counter this is for someone they know and love to get the virus.”

Dr Ingall said the fact that Australia had so far had fewer death than other countries was “very lucky”.

“You see that in countries like Canada who had the worst of it and saw their loved ones dying have embraced vaccination.” he said.

“For example, Vancouver got up to 80 per cent vaccination in record time.

“Whereas to our credit we have been able to keep the pandemic down and so the fear we would die never quite got to that point, so I think this why people are still hesitating.”