Episode 18: The COVID-19 Vaccination with Dr Lai Heng Foong

As we continue to witness the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, especially across countries like the UK, the US and of course, the devastating effect its having on India, the development and implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination has become an important and topical conversation for everyone.   In this episode of The Checkup, BN’s Kate Hickey and Hannah Shiel are joined, once again, by Dr Lai Heng Foong, an emergency physician and frontline worker, and Chair of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine’s Public Health and Disaster Committee. We talked to Dr Foong last March (episode 14), just as the devastating impacts of COVID-19 were really starting to unfold around the world. Over 12 months and 3 million COVID-related deaths later, Dr Foong joins us to discuss the COVID-19 vaccination, including herd immunity, concerns surrounding the AstraZeneca vaccine and the risk ratios involved, who is required to have the vaccine, how it’s been developed, and why it should be considered a celebration of global cooperation. Kate and Hannah also provide some guidance to medical practitioners around receiving the COVID-19 vaccination from a medico-legal perspective. Episode notes: Episode 14: On the frontline of COVID-19 with Dr Lai Heng Foong "Employers should not assume they can require employees to receive COVID-19 vaccination"  AHPRA Vaccination Statement