Widespread vaccination that ensures herd immunity is the most effective way to protect public health and the right to life, said Amy Maguire, a University of Newcastle human rights and law researcher.
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The pandemic has raised the contrasting human rights of people being protected from contracting COVID-19 and the right not to have a vaccine.
"It's common for human rights claims to come into tension," said Dr Maguire, an associate professor.
"When this happens, we need to consider the appropriate balance in the specific context.
"In this case, I think an appropriate balance is achievable by doing as much as possible to promote widespread vaccine take-up, including incentives to encourage people to be vaccinated."
She said the prospect of infection with a potentially deadly virus like the coronavirus "brings risks to some of our most fundamental rights, including the right to life and the right to health".
The pandemic had affected multiple other rights like "the right to employment and the right to education".
"The prospect of a public vaccination program against COVID-19 certainly raises the right of individuals to bodily integrity, and their interests in giving or refusing their informed consent to medical treatment."
News broke on Friday that the University of Queensland-CSL vaccine had been terminated over false positive HIV test results.
A University of Queensland-CSL statement said a phase one trial of the vaccine showed it attracted a "robust response towards the virus and has a strong safety profile".
"There were no serious adverse events or safety concerns reported in the 216 trial participants.
"The phase 1 data showed the generation of antibodies directed towards fragments of a protein [from HIV], which is a component used to stabilise the vaccine.
"Trial participants were fully informed of the possibility of a partial immune response to this component, but it was unexpected that the levels induced would interfere with certain HIV tests.
"There is no possibility the vaccine causes infection, and routine follow-up tests confirmed there is no HIV virus present."
The vaccine was terminated to maintain public confidence.
Dr Maguire said the news did not affect her thoughts "on the public health value of widespread vaccination with an approved and safe vaccine".
"Given the pace and the experimental nature of vaccine development, it doesn't seem surprising that some vaccine candidates would fail," Dr Maguire said.
Asked about the laws around making vaccines compulsory in Australia, she said there was no general power for this.
But Australian governments were "certainly able to legislate in various ways to encourage or even require vaccination in specified circumstances".
"Governments cannot force vaccination on people who choose to refuse it, but can introduce measures which would disadvantage people who make such a choice," she said.
In any case, she said compulsory vaccination was not needed in Australia.
"Australia enjoys generally high vaccination rates and I anticipate that most people will be comfortable to take up the new vaccine in order to ensure the best prospect of an end to the pandemic and to protect their health and the health of the community," she said.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce recently spoke about the COVID-19 "vaccination passport", which airlines are planning to use for international flights.
Mr Joyce said his airline was considering making it compulsory for passengers to prove they were vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding flights to or from Australia.
Dr Maguire said vaccine passports were a "reasonable means for airlines and other travel operators to ensure relative safety for customers and employees".
"An airline like Qantas already has conditions of carriage that passengers need to meet. A vaccine passport would work in the same context to give everyone confidence that travel was safe.
"This means greater opportunity for individuals to resume a more normal life, and greater opportunity for businesses to rebuild after being hit hard by the pandemic."
Asked how it could be lawful to require people to be vaccinated before international travel, but not lawful in general, Dr Maguire said: "Such a condition would be lawful because it is not being forced on people - it would be required for those who choose to fly.
"This means that people can decide not to participate or travel if they prefer to refuse the vaccine."
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