Let us know, below!
The Queensland COVID-19 Vaccination Safety and Efficacy Trial (QoVAX SET) was a large COVID-19 vaccine study conducted during 2021-2023 that collected blood samples from some 10,000 Queenslanders (both vaccinated and unvaccinated) for bioanalysis by researchers.
This study was expected to investigate numerous aspects of the ways that individual people responded to their COVID-19 vaccinations. However, continued funding was not secured beyond 2023, and subsequently in March 2025 Metro North Health (the custodian of the blood samples) informed participants that it would be destroying all blood samples.
This news has come as a shock to many, especially since this Queensland data was globally unique, and represents a population cohort that had not been previously infected with COVID-19 at the time of collecting blood samples.
COVERSE and other groups are keen to see this decision by Metro North Health reversed, and the samples retained indefinitely for critical scientific and legal purposes.
Help us ensure the samples are not destroyed
If you participated in the QoVAX SET study and provided blood samples, please let us know via this form, so we can gather as many participants as possible to advocate for Metro North Health to retain these samples indefinitely.
Why the samples should be retained
Legal analysis by Mr Julian Gillespie has revealed a number of concerning issues from the perspective of the study participants. In short, destruction of the blood samples may:
- Breach commitments to participants indicated in the Participant Information and Consent Form (PICF);
- Breach the National Ethical Standards – Long-Term Preservation from the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2023);
- Remove the ability to investigate emerging scientific concerns of contamination issues with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines;
- Possibly breach statutory and legal obligations to retain research materials for legal proceedings (with future legal action being anticipated by individuals and groups of vaccine-injured Australians), and;
- Raise potential conflict of interest and governance issues connected with the Metro North Health Human Research Ethics Committee in relation to the destruction of the samples.
Mr Gillespie has posted more details on his Substack at: julesonthebeach.substack.com.
Sign the petition
In addition to letting us know who you are, if you are a resident of Queensland you can also sign the petition for the Queensland Parliament to intervene and halt the destruction of the blood samples here: www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/Petition-Details?id=4234
