Storm over Twomey’s Covid view
THE Cairns-based boss of Australia’s peak pharmacy body has controversially declared it would be “convenient” for his family to catch Covid in the next four weeks, before school returns.
Pharmacy Guild president Trent Twomey is no longer insisting his children, who are aged under 12, wear masks and is taking them to crowded venues, including the movies and the public pool.
“There is no good time to get Covid, but if my family have to catch it, now would be a good time,” he said.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) condemned his stance as selfcentred and irresponsible at a time when the nation’s hospitals were buckling under an explosion of Omicron cases.
“You shouldn’t be setting that example,” AMA vicepresident Dr Chris Moy said.
“I don’t believe that this is responsible, both from the point of view of the overall public health perspective, but
also from a point of view of setting an example.
“Suits us is not the same thing as suiting the entire community effort.”
Dr Moy said as many Australians as possible needed to have their boosters to ease pressure on hospitals.
Mr Twomey said he had done everything he could to protect his family.
He and his wife had both had their booster jab and his children had received their first Covid vaccine.
“You know, before school gets back next month, we’d love to get it (Covid) over and done with because it’s just inevitable,” he told News Corp.
“I don’t think that’s a controversial view. I think that’s actually the consensus view. I’ve have had a lot of people say that,” he said.
Mr Twomey said while his children had previously been wearing masks in public, since becoming vaccinated they were no longer doing so. Because of their age, they are not legally bound to.
Mr Twomey said he was wearing one to comply with
public health orders. He has been taking his children to the movies and the public pool, activities they would not previously have engaged in before they were vaccinated.
“My children will be going back to school in a couple of weeks, I’ll have to resume travel because my job requires me to travel interstate and I don’t know when I’m going to come down with it,” he said.
“I could come down with it when I’m in transit, my children could contract it while they’re at school,” he said.