'I won't be bullied': Bryce Cartwright refuses NRL flu shot but denies 'anti-vaxxer' label https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/ ... xxer-label Quote Unfazed by criticism, Gold Coast star Bryce Cartwright says he will not be bullied into getting a flu shot after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for the NRL to adopt a “no jab, no play” approach. ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys is set to enter talks with the RLPA in the hope of encouraging players to vaccinate after Cartwright polarised the rugby league community with his stance. Cartwright has refused a flu shot which is part of the NRL’s strict biosecurity protocols in order to restart the competition next month following the coronavirus shutdown. It prompted even Morrison to weigh in, saying the NRL should enforce a “no jab, no play” policy that would ensure players who rejected vaccination are suspended from competing. But Cartwright has dug his heels in, saying it would be “coercion” if he was forced to get a jab against his wishes and claimed he was not the only player in the NRL to refuse vaccination.'" 1) I don't understand how "a flu shot" is protection against covid-19 2) Surely they can't force a player (or anyone) to take a jab against their will can they?

'I won't be bullied': Bryce Cartwright refuses NRL flu shot but denies 'anti-vaxxer' label https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/ ... xxer-label Quote Unfazed by criticism, Gold Coast star Bryce Cartwright says he will not be bullied into getting a flu shot after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for the NRL to adopt a “no jab, no play” approach. ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys is set to enter talks with the RLPA in the hope of encouraging players to vaccinate after Cartwright polarised the rugby league community with his stance. Cartwright has refused a flu shot which is part of the NRL’s strict biosecurity protocols in order to restart the competition next month following the coronavirus shutdown. It prompted even Morrison to weigh in, saying the NRL should enforce a “no jab, no play” policy that would ensure players who rejected vaccination are suspended from competing. But Cartwright has dug his heels in, saying it would be “coercion” if he was forced to get a jab against his wishes and claimed he was not the only player in the NRL to refuse vaccination.'" 1) I don't understand how "a flu shot" is protection against covid-19 2) Surely they can't force a player (or anyone) to take a jab against their will can they?

Quote ="Isaiah"'I won't be bullied': Bryce Cartwright refuses NRL flu shot but denies 'anti-vaxxer' label https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/ ... xxer-label 1) I don't understand how "a flu shot" is protection against covid-19 2) Surely they can't force a player (or anyone) to take a jab against their will can they?'" Well if a flu shot is the answer that will solve the problem quicker than expected I presume they could instigate a don’t jab don’t play stipulation, but struggling to see what the jab achieves

Quote ="Isaiah"'I won't be bullied': Bryce Cartwright refuses NRL flu shot but denies 'anti-vaxxer' label https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/ ... xxer-label 1) I don't understand how "a flu shot" is protection against covid-19 2) Surely they can't force a player (or anyone) to take a jab against their will can they?'" Well if a flu shot is the answer that will solve the problem quicker than expected I presume they could instigate a don’t jab don’t play stipulation, but struggling to see what the jab achieves

The way I read it is they are worried that if you do not get the jab and you get the flue and the virus at the same time it could make the virus worse when my husband got pneumonia the doctors treating him in hospital said if he had not had the jab he could and would have died 6 yrs on he is still with me and we both have the jab

I don't see what all the fuss is about having flu injections I've never heard of anything untoward and I now have a yearly injection due to my age and health, I've had flu in my younger days and it's not nice it really pinned me to the bed none of this sniffling and whinging, I can only put it down to fear of needles as some just can't cope with it

This is exactly the case - the NRL have got special dispensation to re-start based on their high bio-security measures. Having the flu shot is one of those measures. Playing rugby league is classed as a high risk activity with regards COVID, therefore the NRL have had to show the stringent measures they’re putting in place to prevent infection (isolation in normal life, strict protocols around entry to training etc) , but also to ensure people are as safe as possible should they become infected (early detection, immunised from flu etc). If everyone has had a flu shot and somebody ends up with flu like symptoms, they can then make early assumptions there is a higher chance of it being COVID.
Throw in then the fact that the Aussie media will be headline hunting for anyone who sniffles or coughs at training (which would then see the government shut down the game), I can see why the NRL could go hard line on it....
All that being said, it looks like it will be the local governments that hand down the ‘no jab, no play’ rule though - the NRL wanted to just have the players who refuse the flu jab to sign a waiver accepting the increased personal risk if they do refuse the flu jab (though some have also refused to sign this), but the QLD state government have said this isn’t enough and are enforcing no jab, no play at the moment. Similar rules already exist in Aus around working in care homes etc.

It's because symptoms of the flu and Covid 19 are so similar. If they get the flu jab then they can pretty much eliminate the possibility of players getting the flu, therefore if they present with symptoms then it's most likely Covid 19.

It's a strange case.
Although it's not unreasonable to say that players who havent been vaccinated cannot compete.
It's then a simple choice for the players ?

At least one of the players who refused the jab, Nathan Peats, had a valid argument for doing so, having had a bad reaction to the jab previously. He's also said that he's going to get the jab now and that if he'd known how everything would blow up, he'd have just done it in the first place.

How is it high risk, to whom, not the players is it, or the coaches, or the back room staff, nor the players families that they go home to either right If they are removing themselves from vulnerable persons, so having a jab is even more meaningless on top of the fact a flu jab will not, nor cannot protect against C.19. It's utterly ludicrous, you cannot simply breach human rights using back of a fag packet 'science' when the risk of death from C.19 is no greater than for influenza itself.

To those saying there are no side effects to the flu jab, sorry but that's totally false, people die because of having the influenza vaccination, I work with older/vulnerable persons and I see the negative effects in those that are coerced/forced to have the jab, these groups are the ones that an inoculation has low % of efficacy.

Most players will obviously go for it, they like most just want a quiet life, to force others through threats on the back of zero evidence of the jab being effective or indeed even required (compared to other interventions) is unlawful.

Almost lost my mum because of a flu jab

The first time I had the flue jab I thought it was going to kill me I felt that bad so for 3 yrs after that I said no every time they said get one till I moved down south and when my doctor asked why and I told him he said try now it has been changed for the better so I did and have now had one every year since no problem