Doctors Stand Up For Vaccination
An open letter to the public of Aotearoa New Zealand from
kiwi doctors has garnered over 4600 signatures in less than
a week. The grassroots group called Doctors Stand Up For
Vaccination was formed in late August with an aim to provide
a united and evidence-based voice from the medical community
to the general public in support of vaccination for
COVID-19. “We saw there was a lot of misinformation from a
very small but vocal number of people online, and we're
aware that people had a lot of questions about the
vaccine”, a representative said, “so we wanted to do
something to help the people of Aotearoa”. The group
penned an open letter to the public supporting the COVID
vaccine and created a “Frequently Asked Questions”
document, based on questions they were being asked
regularly. The letter and FAQ’s, which can be found at
their website www.doctors-stand-up-for-vaccination.com,
rapidly garnered support among the medical community,
receiving over 2000 signatures in 40 hours. “We wrote the
FAQ’s with links to information for the general public to
read”, their representative stated, “we want patients to
know that the vaccination is safe, effective and is the
route forward for Aotearoa New Zealand”. To date, the
group has been endorsed by many medical associations and
societies including the NZ Medical Association, Te Ora
Māori Medical Practitioners Association, the Pasifika
Medical Association, the Australasian Society of Infectious
Diseases and most of the Medical Colleges. In addition the
Council of Medical Colleges, representing all 9000
vocationally registered specialist doctors in NZ, has
formally endorsed COVID vaccination. The Doctors Stand Up
For Vaccination group is still collecting signatures, but
plan to publish the letter in full, with all signatures
attached, soon. “We want to show a strong and united
stance and we are buoyed by the fact that the Nurses’
Organisation (NZNO) and pharmacists have done the same
thing”, their representative states, “these are
difficult times, but we will get through this
together”.
www.doctors-stand-up-for-vaccination.com
He waka eke noa. Supporting patients, supporting vaccination.