“I shouldn’t be saying it": Karl snaps over vaccines
Today Show host Karl Stefanovic has caused outrage on-air after he admitted he would consider skipping the flu vaccine this year.
In a segment with infectious disease expert Dr Nick Coatsworth on Thursday morning, he made the controversial comments that have divided viewers.
“I know it’s irresponsible and I shouldn’t be saying it but I don’t want any more,” Stefanovic told the national audience.
"You can say whatever you want, but I've had my fill of vaccines."
Stand-in co-host Sarah Abo tried to salvage the segment, saying, “You know better than that. We are booking Karl in for his flu jab after this segment.”
Dr Coatsworth responded calmly to the comments, saying Karl would not be the only one having these thoughts about the flu jab.
“That’s a view people will be having, that they’ve had so much health information that they just want to switch off for a while,” he said.
Despite the population feeling fatigued from vaccine information, the messaging of flu shot is clear to protect against seasonal flu injection.
The annual influenza vaccine is recommended for all Australians over six months of age, with Dr Coatsworth reminding viewers it is safe and effective.
“It’s an effective vaccine and it will make an impact for the population if we all get our flu jabs this year,” Dr Coatsworth said.
Karl's most recent comments are not the first time he has mentioned his exhaustion with health care talk, after he got heated during a segment discussing booster vaccines for overseas arrivals in February.
“Isn’t it up to personal responsibility and personal choice to some point?’ Stefanovic demanded of the infectious disease expert Robert Booy, who was being interviewed for the segment.
“Do we have to mandate everything? Are we going to mandate every vaccination now that is required?”
The last two years of the pandemic have seen record low deaths during the influenza season due to lockdown periods, social distancing and mask wearing.
In 2019, 1,080 people lost their lives to the annual influenza infections.
Image credits: The Today Show footage - Channel Nine