Canoeist Fox happy to cop jab to feel ‘safer’ at Tokyo Games
OLYMPIC silver medallist Jess Fox has put her hand up to receive the COVID vaccine to feel “safer” to compete in Tokyo as chiefs confirm all athletes should receive the jab within a month.
With just 100 days until the revised Tokyo Olympics goes ahead, uncertainty around the vaccine rollout continues.
The Victorian government on Monday extended its pause on the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the most widely available COVID-19 vaccine in Australia, to people under 50 amid fears of lengthy delays to the overall rollout.
However, Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll is confident athletes and officials will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine before the AOC’s deadline of next month when athletes travel overseas to compete in warm-up events before the Games start on July 23.
It comes as some athletes have expressed reservations about receiving the vaccine, even though the jab isn’t compulsory.
Fox, who won silver at the London Olympics, is one athlete who wants to receive a vaccination to feel comfortable amid a global pandemic. There are fears Japan is in the midst of a fourth wave of COVID-19.
“For me personally, I will get the vaccine,” said Fox, who has won a silver and bronze medal at the past two Olympics in 2012 and 2016. “I think it is an opportunity to arrive in Tokyo feeling a bit more serene and maybe safer.
“You want to arrive at the Olympics fit, healthy, and if you do have to go overseas and compete before the Olympics, obviously COVID is more prevalent over there. So, having a vaccine would make me feel safer. But obviously it is really important for our community as well, so we will wait on the AOC’s advice and go with what they think.”