The family of a US man say his hospital in Boston is refusing to consider him for a heart transplant because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. DJ Ferguson, 31, is in desperate need of a heart transplant but the Brigham and Women's Hospital took him off their list, his father David told CBS Boston.
Mr Ferguson said his son had been at the front of the line to receive a transplant, before the hospital realised he was not vaccinated.
His son had "gone to the edge of death to stick to his guns" but would not get vaccinated, he told CBS.
"It's kind of against his basic principles — he doesn't believe in it,"
"It's a policy they are enforcing and so, because he won't get the shot, they took him off the list (for) a heart transplant."
Dr Arthur Caplan, the head of medical ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told CBS Boston vaccination played an important part in protecting vulnerable transplant patients.
"Post any transplant, kidney, heart whatever, your immune system is shut off," Dr Caplan said.
"The flu could kill you, a cold could kill you, COVID could kill you. The organs are scarce, we are not going to distribute them to someone who has a poor chance of living when others who are vaccinated have a better chance post-surgery of surviving."
