Radio host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson risked the wrath of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday by telling listeners of her KIIS FM breakfast show she was hesitant about getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
Henderson, 46, said she will ‘hold off’ getting the shot once it’s available in Australia – at least until other people in her age group have had it – because of her concerns about the extremely rare side effects.
Her admission comes after a ‘fit and healthy’ 55-year-old man died in Tamworth Hospital of a blood clot on April 21 just days after receiving the vaccine.
A Sydney man, 71, has also died after getting the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, but it’s understood this man had several underlying health conditions, and his death is unlikely to be linked to the jab.
Radio host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson risked the wrath of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday by telling listeners of her KIIS FM breakfast show she was hesitant about getting the Covid-19 vaccine
Henderson said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show it wasn’t fair to compare Australia’s situation to other countries like India, where coronavirus has spiralled out of control.
She argued Aussies have the freedom to ‘wait and see’ what happens with the vaccine because the number of Covid cases is so low, while this simply isn’t an option in other parts of the world.
The mother of one added that she personally wouldn’t be rushing to get the vaccine once it’s available to her.
But her co-host Kyle Sandilands scolded her for her attitude, and said Ms Berejiklian – a regular guest on their show – would be furious.
‘Wait ’til Gladys, the premier, finds out Jackie’s been pushing the “wait and see” [attitude]. She’ll be like, “Now listen, Jackie!”‘ he said.
Henderson, 46, said she will ‘hold off’ getting the shot once it’s available in Australia – at least until other people in her age group have had it – and that she has concerns about the extremely rare side effects. Pictured with her daughter Kitty
Henderson’s co-host Kyle Sandilands scolded her for her attitude, and said Gladys Berejiklian – a regular guest on their show – would be furious
There have been 1.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered in Australia as of April 22, and six reported cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a very rare blood-clotting condition.
On April 23, the Therapeutic Goods Administration reported it had reviewed three suspected cases of rare blood clots caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine.
They included a 35-year-old New South Wales woman, a 49-year-old Queensland man and an 80-year-old Victorian man.
It concluded ‘all three of the cases were likely linked to vaccination’.
There have been 1.1 million doses of AstraZeneca administered in Australia as of April 22
Meanwhile, health officials have launched an investigation into the deaths of two New South Wales men days after receiving the coronavirus vaccine.
A ‘fit and healthy’ man died of a blood clot days after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine.
The 55-year-old died in Tamworth Hospital on April 21 after suffering what hospital staff had described as a ‘massive’ blood clot in his lungs.
It’s unclear which vaccine he received on April 13 as his devastated family told the Northern Daily Leader he was otherwise a ‘fit and healthy’ man.
A Sydney man, 71, has also died after getting the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
It’s understood the man had several underlying health conditions, and his death is unlikely to be linked to the jab.
An investigation is underway into the deaths of two New South Wales men days after getting the Covid jab (pictured, a Sydney nurse gets her vaccine)
Any link between the vaccine and either death is also yet to be established, with both cases under investigation.
It comes after Sandilands said on air in February he was considering a ‘no jab, no job’ policy at his workplace once the Covid-19 vaccine is rolled out across Australia.
During a discussion about the coronavirus vaccine, he said all staffers at The Kyle and Jackie O Show must get the shot once it’s available or face the sack.
He issued the office-wide edict after Henderson again expressed concerns about the vaccine.
It comes after Kyle Sandilands said on air in February he was considering a ‘no jab, no job’ policy at his workplace once the Covid-19 vaccine is rolled out across Australia
Henderson said she thought the vaccine seemed ‘a bit rushed’, but stressed she ‘is not an anti-vaxxer at all’.
Sandilands, 49, gently corrected Henderson, pointing out that the bureaucracy of vaccine development had been fast-tracked, not the science and safety testing.
‘All the tests and clinical trials, they haven’t been rushed. It’s the bulls**t of waiting around through all the processes and paperwork. That’s been rushed,’ he said.
He issued the office-wide edict – which may have been a joke – after his co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson (pictured) expressed concerns about the vaccine
KIIS FM newsreader Brooklyn Ross also noted the Covid-19 vaccine was the result of scientists from many countries working together with enormous financial support.
‘Jackie, what the difference is this time around is, like, the whole world just said, “We need a vaccine,” and so much money has gone into it… and that gave them the ability to do more trials quickly,’ Ross said.
‘Without money, you can’t do that, so that’s what’s helped it go through.’
Henderson, who still wasn’t convinced, then asked her colleagues if any of them were ‘a little bit unsure’.
During a discussion about the coronavirus vaccine on February 15, Sandilands said all staffers at The Kyle and Jackie O Show must get the shot once it’s available. Pictured with KIIS FM newsreader Brooklyn Ross (centre)
She asked ‘Will you all get it?’ and several staff members said without hesitation they would get the jab once it’s available.
Sandilands said: ‘The second I can get it. I’ve even got an elastic band around my arm now. I’m bloody ready to go. Shoot me up, baby!’
The only employee who said they wouldn’t be getting the vaccine straight away was senior producer Pedro Vitola, who by his own admission is ‘into conspiracies’.
‘If you don’t get it, you’re out,’ Sandilands snapped in response. ‘No jab, no job.’
Henderson laughed off her co-host’s remark, but it’s unclear if Sandilands was serious or just joking about a ‘no jab, no job’ policy at KIIS FM.
His view: The only employee who said they wouldn’t be getting the vaccine straight away was senior producer Pedro Vitola (pictured), who by his own admission is ‘into conspiracies’
Henderson said that many Australians have a ‘wait and see’ attitude to the vaccine – that is to say, they plan to wait until others have had it first to make sure it’s safe.
However, Covid-19 vaccines have already been found to be safe and effective – and side effects extremely rare – and millions of people in countries like Britain and the U.S. have already received the jab.
When Ross reminded Henderson of the vaccine rollout in other countries, she seemed to be reassured – but her remarks on Thursday suggest she still has reservations.