The parents of a 4-month-old in New Zealand are refusing to let their baby get life-saving surgery if the blood that will be used in the operation is from a donor who is vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
The parents told an anti-vaxxer in a video interview that their son has severe pulmonary valve stenosis, and that he needs surgery “almost immediately”, but they are “extremely concerned” that doctors will use the blood from a person vaccinated against COVID-19 in the operation, according to The Guardian.
“We don’t want blood that is tainted by vaccination. That’s the end of the deal – we are fine with anything else these doctors want to do,” the father said in the interview.
The parents claim they had more than 20 unvaccinated people who were willing to donate blood, but the New Zealand Blood Service did not approve it.
The New Zealand Blood Service said it does not “separate or label blood based on a donor’s Covid-19 vaccination status.” It added that any Covid-19 vaccine in the blood is broken down after it enters the blood stream and any trace amounts that may still be present get filtered during processing.
Health New Zealand is now asking the court to step in and transfer the parents guardianship to the courts so consent can be given to allow the child to get the surgery.
The parents and attorneys for Health New Zealand appeared in court on Wednesday to set a date for an emergency hearing, while a crowd of about 100 anti-vaxxers gathered outside, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Paul White, a lawyer for NZ Health, said the case was urgent because a child with this medical condition should have been treated weeks ago, while Sue Grey, an anti-vax lawyer representing the parents, said they were looking for better care for their child than what the state was providing.
“Because they label my clients as conspiracy theorists, their position is that anything my clients say can be ignored,” Grey said.
The vaccines are safe and effective against the COVID virus. They trigger an immune response, which produces antibodies to protect against serious illness. Blood donated by people who’ve recovered from or vaccinated against COVID-19 has antibodies to the virus. These antibodies will not affect the recipient, it’ll just provide an added layer of protection against COVID.
