3 minute read
Adelaide AFLW premiership player - and registered nurse - Deni Varnhagen has spoken about her refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Dual Adelaide AFLW premiership defender Deni Varnhagen is not backing down on her refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
A registered nurse who works in intensive care units, Varnhagen joined other healthcare workers in Adelaide in protesting about mandatory vaccination.
Wearing a white singlet that says "freedom to choose", the 29-year-old explained her stance to reporters on Tuesday.
"I love being a nurse and coercion is not consent so it's pretty self-explanatory," Varnhagen said.
"I'm scared for all of us nurses, we're all terrified, we love working and want to be back working."
Varnhagen claimed she did not want to be "at threat" of losing her job because of what she labelled as a "medical experiment".
"There's a lot that's in the news that isn't speaking the truth," she claimed.
South Australia's healthcare workers were stood down on Monday if they were yet to receive their jab before the November 1 deadline.
More than 80 per cent of the population aged over 16 in NSW and Victoria have received both doses, while South Australia is approaching 70 per cent fully vaccinated.
Varnhagen could be giving up her nursing and AFLW career due to her anti-vaccination stance.
All AFL and AFLW players will need to be fully vaccinated by mid-February or they will be barred from playing and training.
The league released its long-awaited vaccination policy last month, with clubs to ultimately determine action on staff who refuse vaccinations.
If players do not have a medical exemption for not receiving the jab, clubs will have options to transfer them to the inactive list, pay them no less than 25 per cent of their contracted salary, or agree to part ways.
Sydney Swans and GWS players will need to be fully vaccinated by December 17, while clubs in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia will need to have both doses by February 18.
Victorian clubs already need to be vaccinated to comply with the state government's protocols.
It is not the first time Varnhagen has attended an anti-vaccination rally, after posting a video to her Instagram last month showing people marching for "freedom of choice".
She then followed it up with another clip holding a sign that read "health care hero's (sic) in 2020 ... unvaxed unwanted in 2021".
Varnhagen has played 31 games for the Crows across the first five seasons of AFLW.
The club has previously said it strongly encourages people to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
