Iain Martin states, “we have a duty to lead by example”

In a staff newsletter yesterday Professor Martin called on the university community “to consider what the position of Deakin should be towards mandatory vaccination in 2022 and beyond.

“I believe we have a duty to lead by example when it comes to acknowledging that vaccination is both a tool to protect one person and a public health intervention to protect communities,” the VC wrote.

Professor Martin, a surgeon by training, was reiterating arguments he presented to the Deakin U community last week, including the safety and efficacy of vaccination with AstraZeneca and the inevitability of CVID-19’s “genetic ancestors” being, “with us for the next 100 years or more.”

“Once the entire adult population have access to vaccination, which will be later this year, I believe that as a community, we need to consider very carefully whether we mandate vaccination to continue to be part of our university community,” he wrote.