Senator Gerard Rennick believes that the court ruling in favor of an employee who suffered a vaccine injury due to a workplace directive will make employers think twice about mandating vaccines. The case involves Daniel Shepherd, a child and youth support worker in South Australia who developed pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardium, after his third Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. He was told by his employer that he had to receive the third dose in order to keep his job, under a mandate from South Australia’s Emergency Management Act.
Mr. Shepherd experienced severe chest pain the day after receiving the third dose, leading to a diagnosis of pericarditis and subsequent incapacity to work. Despite experiencing some improvement after several months, he continues to suffer from ongoing pain and fatigue that affects his daily life. The state initially rejected his claim for compensation, arguing that the injury wasn’t work-related, but the court ruled in Mr. Shepherd’s favor, ordering the state to pay him weekly compensation and cover his medical expenses.
Senator Rennick sees this ruling as setting a significant precedent, where employers may think twice about mandating vaccines if they risk facing significant medical costs for employees who suffer from vaccine injuries. He hopes that the decision will hold and potentially open the door to employers suing governments or pharmaceutical companies for mandating unsafe or ineffective vaccines.