Pharmacy Daily | Crackpot health claims

AUSTRALIA needs consistent health messaging to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian Medical Association (AMA) President, Dr Omar Khorshid believes, hitting out at "crackpot ideas on health issues" being touted by Federal Government backbenchers.

With Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt, announcing plans to commence a national COVID-19 vaccination rollout program from mid-Feb, Khorshid stressed the need for accurate information to be disseminated to the public, to ensure people have confidence in the safety and efficacy of the immunisations.

Responding to claims by Liberal MP, Craig Kelly, that topical ointment, Betadine, could significantly reduce COVID-19 hospitalisations, Khorshid said it was "really disappointing to see people who should know better getting out there and putting out these crackpot ideas on health issues".

"We're at a critical time now with a vaccination program just about to start," Khorshid said.

"And I guess everyone is really sensitive to these messages, because for a vaccination program to work, we need everybody to be vaccinated, so we get those numbers up, we get the whole population immunised and therefore, immune to the virus.

"Any significant numbers of people who feel nervous, or just lose confidence, they may not believe the messages that they hear, but they may lose confidence in what is being said by the Government, and that is a real risk to all society, and most particularly, it's a risk to the vulnerable people in society, for whom vaccination may not be the solution.

"So that's children, for instance, who won't be able to access the vaccine early on.

"It's people living with immune deficiency syndromes and people on chemotherapy who may not get an adequate protective response from a vaccination. They rely on the rest of us doing the right thing, and that's why these comments are so dangerous."