A three-year-old boy will undergo an urgent heart transplant in Greece after a German hospital cancelled his operation at the last minute because his parents were unvaccinated against COVID-19.
The unnamed boy from Cyprus, who has a serious heart condition, was due to be taken to Germany by air ambulance on the morning of Thursday, 27th January, to undergo the procedure at a hospital specialising in cardiology in the city of Frankfurt.
However, the youngster’s name was removed from the organ transplant recipients list on the day before he was due to be flown because his parents were unvaccinated against COVID-19.
His parents agreed to get jabbed for the sake of their youngster, and they got their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine – on the German hospital’s advice – on the same Thursday. However, they would have to have waited wait six weeks until they were considered fully vaccinated.
The parents considered sending their son to the German hospital with vaccinated adults in their place. However, the hospital stuck by its policy that all youngsters must be accompanied by their legal guardians.
The parents subsequently sought to have the operation performed in the United Kingdom and in Israel. However, the procedure was reportedly refused again for the same reasons.
Eventually it was Greece that agreed to give the boy the life-saving treatment he needed, and the youngster was transferred from Makarios Hospital in the Cypriot capital Nicosia to Mitera Hospital in the Greek capital Athens on Saturday, 29th January.
It is not been reported if he has now undergone the procedure.
The case has raised questions about whether it is ethical for health facilities to turn away unvaccinated patients or patients whose guardians are unvaccinated.
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Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor: William McGee, Agency: Newsflash
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