An aged care worker failed to show what she said was an allergic reaction had been caused by a flu shot.Credit:Getty Images
Jennifer Kimber,who had done clerical work at the community-owned Imlay House aged care home on the NSW far south coast town of Pambula since 2008,lost her job in July after declining the flu vaccine.
Sapphire Coast Community Aged Care,which employed Ms Kimber,insisted she have a flu shot because a state government directive ordered people without one to stay out of aged care facilities unless they had a medical exemption.
The same rule has not been applied to coronavirus vaccines,which are still being rolled out across the country,except in the case of some healthcare workers in Queensland.
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Ms Kimber told the Fair Work Commission she had refused the flu shot because the last time she had one in 2016 she had suffered a severe allergic reaction,including a rash and swelling on her face and neck. She took a steroid medication,saw a practitioner in Chinese medicine and wore a copper-infused towel as a scarf to manage the rash,which remained for 10 months.
She said she was covered by a medical exemption because of her reaction,providing a letter from the Chinese medicine practitioner who saw her when she had the rash,and a traditional doctor,who had seen her only later.
However,Fair Work commissioner Donna McKenna ruled on Friday Ms Kimber had not shown her reaction was caused by the flu vaccine.