Judgment details hijacking of meeting by anti-vax support person

The judgment granted guardianship of the baby in the case about the use of blood from donors vaccinated against Covid and detailed a meeting with parents overtaken by a support person

In today’s edition: new youth crime prevention package to be announced; overwhelming majority want half-priced public transport to stay; first female chair for NZ Rugby; but first judge grants temporary guardianship of baby at centre of case around use of donated blood

Anti-vax protesters gathered outside the High Court in Auckland (Photo: RNZ / Finn Blackwell)

Judge grants guardianship

In a judgment released last night, Justice Ian Gault granted health officials court guardianship of a baby, after his parents refused a blood transfusion and instead wanted a court order to receive blood from exclusively unvaccinated donors. The baby may receive the necessary surgery in the next 48 hours. The baby is to be placed under the guardianship of the court “from the date of the order until completion of his surgery and post-operative recovery to address obstruction to the outflow tract of his right ventricle and at latest until 31 January 2023.”

Doctors tried to work with the parents, meeting hijacked

As RNZ’s Rowan Quinn reports, the judgment outlined how doctors tried to work with the parents but the relationship broke down. A meeting on November 25 between Starship Hospital's paediatric cardiac surgeon in chief, other specialists and the baby’s parents was hijacked by the parents' support person who proceeded to pressurise the specialists with her theory about conspiracies in New Zealand. After several minutes the specialists asked to leave the meeting and walked out with the support person continuing to try to talk to them.

New US study shows Covid reinfections create higher risk of new and serious health conditions

Health officials are considering data on a vaccine designed to target two different forms of Covid to better protect people from the virus before the next winter. Reported Covid cases hit over 7000 on Tuesday, the highest number since July. As RNZ reports, it's likely to be double that based on wastewater testing. There were 6,704 cases yesterday and 29% of those were reinfections. A recent study from the US, using the US Department of Veterans Affairs’ national healthcare database, showed that people with a higher number of Covid infections had a significantly higher risk of new and serious health conditions. In comments supplied by the Science Media Centre, epidemiologist Dr Amanda Kvalsvig said the study provided some very high-quality evidence about the impact of reinfections.

Questions about access to antivirals and public health measures

Health experts are also raising concerns about access to Covid antivirals. Dr Jin Russell said there was a lack of awareness and raised concerns about access and inequity. Matakāoa Covid response lead Tina Ngata​ said these difficulties are exacerbated in rural patches, in an “overwhelmed” health system. In Te Araroa and Hicks Bay, the most remote part of Tairāwhiti, it’s a 3½ to 5 hour trip to the nearest pharmacy or hospital. In comments supplied by the Science Media Centre, Dr Rawiri Keenan said increasing access to antivirals was important, but avoiding infection and reinfection in the first place is still the key thing that we can be doing right now. 

The revolution will be electrified

The way Kiwis get around their country is changing, and Z Energy is changing alongside them, with a growing number of electric vehicle charging sites around the country easing the range anxiety of the nation’s drivers. And as the electric vehicle revolution beds in, with an estimated 30% of Aotearoa’s light vehicles to be electric by 2035, Ben Fahy spoke with Z Energy about how it’s committed to building the future, one charging site at a time. Find out more about this fast-approaching world, now on The Spinoff (sponsored).

New youth crime prevention package

As the Herald’s Adam Pearse reports this morning, the government is introducing a a new fast-track intervention approach aimed at 10 to 13-year-olds as part of a new youth crime package. It include $2m for funding locally-led solutions to reduce youth crime across Auckland, Waikato, Northland and Bay of Plenty. It will also feature an age expansion of a joint agency approach to youth offenders in Auckland, which originally focused on children under 14 years old but now would include offenders aged up to 17.

Overwhelming support for half-price public transport

More results from the recent 1News Kantar poll which show 79% of people back half-price public transport. A decision on whether to extend the government’s transport subsidies is with cabinet. Transport minister Michael Wood says a decision is expected imminently. Finance minister Grant Robertson told 1News that cabinet is considering its options, taking into account the current inflation rate. "But we also have to balance that against the fact this is a very expensive policy,” he said. In other transport news, Newsroom’s Marc Daalder reports on the progress government agencies are making towards electrifying their fleet. More than a third of government agencies still don't own a single electric or plug-in hybrid car.

Click and collect

• Union takes aim at National's claims of 'bloated bureaucracy'

• China eases Covid lockdown and testing requirements

• News from the US: Democrats pick up Georgia senate seat, Trump Organisation convicted of fraud, all the investigations Trump is currently facing

• TIME magazine’s 2022 person of the year

• A new app to help compare prices of weekly grocery bills between supermarkets

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