Health

NZ parents who refused ‘vaccinated blood’ for baby won’t appeal court order

Sydney, Australia, Dec 8 (EFE).- The New Zealand parents who refused to let their 4-month-old baby receive blood from donors vaccinated against Covid-19 will not appeal a court ruling that has enabled urgent heart surgery for the boy, their lawyer said Thursday.

In a high-profile case that sparked global interest, Auckland Justice Ian Gault on Wednesday awarded Te Whatu Ora/Health New Zealand temporary medical guardianship of “Baby W” to allow doctors to proceed with the life-saving surgery, expected to take place Thursday or Friday.

“We have considered an appeal,” Sue Grey, representing the family, wrote on Facebook Thursday. “Our conclusion is that there is no time to appeal due to the court giving its decision at close of business yesterday, and the complex process where a stay is required.”

“We have concluded that the government cannot afford anything to go wrong for Baby W as the world is watching. He is likely to get the best possible care with the best safest blood,” she added.

“The priority for the family is to enjoy a peaceful time with their baby until the operation, and to support him through the operation.”

The guardianship of Baby W could run until Jan. 31, 2023 while the child, who suffers from a worsening congenital heart defect, undergoes urgent surgery – which may involve blood transfusions – and receives post-operative treatment.

The country’s blood service, NZ Blood, does not ask donors to declare whether they are vaccinated against Covid-19, and says on its website that “any Covid-19 vaccine in the blood is broken down soon after the injection.”

“All donated blood also gets filtered during processing, so any trace amounts that may still be present poses no risk to recipients.”

Despite recognizing the urgency of the operation, the parents wanted donors to be taken from their own proposed list of people who had not been vaccinated against Covid-19.

The Oceanian country, which applied hard restrictions to combat the health crisis and has high vaccination rates, has a vocal anti-vaccination movement, which between February and March camped in front of parliament until they were evicted by police. EFE

wat/tw

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