Registered nurse Rebecca DeJong receives a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination at the Townsville University Hospital hub in March.
ABrisbane Times survey of all 93 MPs found only one was not upfront about receiving their second dose.
Professor Julie Leask,a vaccine uptake specialist at the University of Sydney who also advises the World Health Organisation on the topic,said MPs needed to amplify vaccine benefits rather than simplify complex issues and score political points with the “anti-vax” label.
Such “entirely unhelpful” politicisation could drive ideological splits similar to thosefound between Democratic and Republican-leaning states in the US,she said. It was also important to note highlighting rare side-effects,or opposing mandates,did not equate to an anti-vaccination stance.
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“You can be a strong supporter of vaccination and have legitimate questions about whether a mandate is needed,” Professor Leask said.
“This is really important that politicians don’t take vaccination and use it as a political weapon.”
University of Western Australia communications lecturer Tauel Harper,whose vaccine-related social media monitoring has informed state and federal governments,said there had been a shift in anti-vaccine discourse from risks and adverse effects to personal freedoms and government control.