Anti-Vaxxers Are Taking Themselves Off Organ Donor Register In Protest Of Vaccine Mandates

The hashtag #NotAnOrganDonorAnymore is currently trending on Twitter as anti-vaxxers have pulled their names from the life-saving register in protest of a vaccine mandate for transplants.

Queensland Health has confirmed on Tuesday that patients will need to have “a minimum requirement of two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine prior to receiving a kidney, lung or heart transplant.”

According to authorities, this mandate is in place because people who need organ transplants have a particularly weakened immune system and are therefore at a greater risk. This is in line with the national standards on transplants, which requires recipients to be up to date with all vaccines, not just COVID.

“Queensland follows national and international practices regarding transplantation and vaccination protocols,” Queensland Health said in a statement provided to 7News. “The safety and wellbeing of all our patients is our number one priority.”

After receiving a transplant, recipients are extremely immunocompromised as their body tries to adjust to having a foreign organ in their body, which means it’s important to be vaccinated prior to the transplant.

“That is why the Queensland Kidney Transplant Service has endorsed a minimum requirement of two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine prior to receiving a kidney, lung or heart transplant,” Queensland Health said. “Prior to transplant and as per normal process, the recipient must ensure all of their vaccinations are up to date.

“The COVID-19 vaccination is no different.”

In response to the news, anti-vaxxers have flooded the hashtag #NotAnOrganDonorAnymore with screenshots of them removing themselves from the national organ donor registry. “Just changed my status to not longer an organ donor, and you can forget about my precious unvaxed Blood, plasma,” one wrote.

“Here you go @AnnastaciaMP #NotAnOrganDonorAnymore I won’t participate in a system that discrminates!” another added.

Thankfully, the silver lining to the #NotAnOrganDonorAnymore hashtag is that it has prompted countless Australians to check or sign up to be an organ donor.

Thanks very much to the #NotAnOrganDonorAnymore crowd for reminding me to finally update my status and register as an organ donor.

— Connor Flake Farrell (@ConnorEFMG) December 7, 2021

#NotAnOrganDonorAnymore HI FOLKS! If this hashtag has made you feel like registering as an organ donor please use this link!https://t.co/ZrLXa18hJN

— Andrew Jones (AZ Vaxxed) (@AndrewJ31046657) December 7, 2021

Thanks to anti-vaxxer idiots, I found out I wasn't an organ donor and have signed up (thought I was, and VERY glad I double checked now). Took me less than 2 minutes on @myGovau #NotAnOrganDonorAnymore pic.twitter.com/kHrXunLtuK

— Jonathan Brown (JB) (@JB_AU) December 7, 2021

Under the current policy, which isn’t up for review until February next year, patients who refuse the vaccine will be ineligible for a transplant. As it currently stands, 78.45 percent of Queenslanders are fully vaccinated, with 87.3 percent receiving their first jab so far.