Central Coast obstetric fistula surgeon Dr Andrew Browning has warned that Australia will continue to suffer catastrophic COVID case numbers unless developing nations such as Africa are offered vaccinations.
Browning, of Copacabana, who has operated on more than 7,000 African women for fistula, said it was ironic that most people in the developed world were now accessing their third shot of the COVID vaccine while most Africans had received none.
“If ever the expression ‘we are not safe until we are all safe’ was pertinent it is right now,” he said.
“While ever Africa, and other developing nations, are unvaccinated Australians are unsafe.
“Australia cannot just ‘booster and mask’ its way out of every pandemic while leaving places like Africa behind.
“While numbers are now decreasing, yet again, how long will it be before another variant develops in the nations who are unvaccinated?
“The Omicron variant has shown us how vulnerable Australians are to the COVID virus as it mutates overseas and is brought in by visitors and travellers to beset the nation.
“It is a tragedy of preposterous and disgraceful proportions that only 8 per cent of the African population have been fully vaccinated; in comparison half the world is vaccinated.
“In Australia 95 per cent of people over the age of 16 are double vaccinated and now are lining up for their third shot.
“The global rollout of the COVID vaccine has two speeds – one for wealthy nations and the snail–paced speed for developing nations; we need vaccine equity.
“I lived in Africa for 17 years and today travel back and forth to this wonderful continent several times a year to operate on women suffering from shocking birth injuries because they do not have access to caesarean sections during childbirth.
“It is heart wrenching for me to leave a wealthy nation like Australia and then be confronted with the African people who, uncomplaining, go about life but have healthcare nowhere near the level of Australia’s.
“I am not an epidemiologist nor a vaccination expert but those credible organisations like World Bank, WHO and UN want wealthy nations to do as much as possible to improve on the paltry vaccination efforts in places like Africa.
“Unless countries like Africa are vaccinated urgently Australia could see wave after wave of new variants crashing through our borders.”
Source:
Media release, Feb 22
Barbara May Foundation