A controversial backbench MP in Australia has finally agreed to support the country's vaccine rollout after a meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Liberal MP Craig Kelly has publicly pushed for the use of the unproven hydroxychloroquine against coronavirus and said he would "wait to see the evidence" before being vaccinated against the virus, because he wanted to "weigh up the benefits versus any adverse outcomes", according to the Guardian.
His comments come as the Australian government is investing millions of dollars on a public information campaign encouraging citizens to get vaccinated. But some have questioned whether that money is being wasted when some of Morrison's own MPs are throwing doubt on the safety of the jab.
After weeks of controversy around the subject, the Prime Minister finally spoke out against Kelly's views earlier this week, saying the backbencher's support of unproven COVID therapies did not "align with my views, or the views and the advice that has been provided to me by the chief medical officer", the Guardian reported.
Now, after a meeting between the two, Kelly has finally agreed to support the vaccine rollout, according to 7 News.
"I agreed to support the government's vaccine rollout which has been endorsed by medical experts," Kelly said in a statement released after their meeting on Wednesday.
"I have always sought to support the success of our nation's public health response during the pandemic.
"I believe that the spread of misinformation can damage the success of our public health response during the pandemic."
Kelly has almost 100,000 followers on Facebook and many have labelled his sharing of controversial posts as "irresponsible".
On the same day as his meeting with Morrison, Kelly accused the national COVID-19 evidence task force of not being informed by the latest medical studies.
According to 7 News, Kelly said he is not anti-vaccination but would check with his doctor before deciding on which vaccine he might have.
