“Vaccines available in Australia have been widely used in places such as Italy, the US and the UK. Had there been disastrous side effects, these would have become obvious through the multi-millions of people who have already been vaccinated,” writes MICHAEL MOORE.

THE best COVID-19 vaccine is the one in your arm. It does not matter which brand is offered. As with other examples, compared to the disease it is much better to be vaccinated.

On a global scale there are nearly two and a half million people who have died after contracting COVID-19 and around 120 million cases. And yet many countries have not, and are not, responding to the evidence available. 

Compared to most of the world, Australian governments and almost all of our politicians, irrespective of political persuasions, have responded far better than other countries. But we cannot rest on our laurels.

Australia is fortunate. The answers are there for those who have doubts about the speed in which the vaccines were developed and their safety. Although with additional speed, the normal processes were followed with appropriate trials in each of the phases.

However, there is an additional benefit for Australians. The vaccines that are available in Australia have been very widely used in places such as Italy, the US and the UK, where the need was great. Had there been disastrous side effects, these would have become obvious through the multi-millions of people who have already been vaccinated.

As with all medication, there can be side effects – particularly for those with pre-existing conditions who are more vulnerable than others. 

Keep in mind two important issues. The impact of any side effects from vaccination is miniscule compared to the impact of the disease. This is as true for COVID-19 as it is for measles, human papilloma virus or whooping cough.

Secondly, recognising that some vulnerable people ought not be vaccinated, increases the responsibility on the rest of us to protect them by being vaccinated ourselves. The more people who are vaccinated over the half year the better the protection for the whole community.

One of the most fascinating impacts of COVID-19 is the rapid spread of the disease in communities that strongly argue that public health measures ought to be a matter of personal responsibility. The US under Donald Trump, Brazil under Jair Bolsonaro and the UK under Boris Johnson are prime examples. Sweden prided itself on this approach for an extended period – only to suffer the impacts at rates far greater than its Scandinavian neighbours.

It turns out that countries such as Australia and NZ, in opting for a much more inclusive approach where governments took responsibility and citizens were generally compliant, have fared far better than others. No doubt there were other factors of influence including effective communication and willingness to listen to our chief medical officer and the chief health officers of our jurisdictions.

The compliance of Australians and New Zealanders with public health regulation has served us well. It seems there was general recognition of the importance of acting in the community interest rather than in a self-serving manner.

Thinking of others has proved so much more effective than being self-centred. We need to maintain this approach with the distribution of vaccines. With the catchcry “Safe, Effective, Free” the government’s plan is to look after the most vulnerable first and move towards vaccinating the whole population. It is a plan based on equity principles.

Equity is not always easy. Complaints about the initial blocking of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Italy were not well founded. Thanks to effective government action in Australia the need in our country was far less than in Italy where around 300 people were dying every day. Of even greater concern is in low and middle-income countries that were not able to negotiate deals with the pharmaceutical companies.

The World Health Organization made significant attempts to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines internationally through COVAX. However, the WHO has a limited budget (equivalent to a single large teaching hospital in Germany or the US) and a number of high-income countries have not been forthcoming with appropriate levels of support.

We should be proud to be Australian. Success in dealing with COVID-19 from a preventive perspective as well as protection through vaccination, has revealed the difference in outcomes between societies based strongly on a self-centred approach, and those that have broad community interest as a high priority.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006. He is chair of the Global Vaccination Taskforce for the World Federation of Public Health Associations.