Just Get the Vaccine
The hesitancy to take the COVID-19 vaccines from people in wealthy countries is alarming. Staying locked up in our homes for over a year is abnormal. COVID isn’t just the flu, it kills people.
To date, roughly 60% of Americans 18 years old and up have been vaccinated, which is far from enough to reach herd immunity. Around 187.6 million Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Let’s hope that this percentage goes up drastically in future weeks, as 12+ are now eligible for the approved vaccines across the 50 states. There are now around 51,000 cases per day in the country. Obviously, there are fewer deaths and complications than at the beginning of the pandemic, but this is still worrisome. We are not out of the woods anytime soon.
Most places where there are a large number of unvaccinated people are in Republican states; the ones that voted for Trump during the 2020 presidential election. Few days ago, the former president, who is doing rallies regularly, even recommended his supporters get the vaccine. However, adding that he believes in their freedom.
In a utopic world, the total population would be vaccinated in the next few years. Scientists keep repeating that in order to reach full immunity, it would need over 90–95% of the world vaccinated. Until we bring the numbers up, we will see more and more outbreaks around the globe, even in countries who were doing quite well at certain periods of the pandemic, when people were starting to get their first dose.
Their biggest stress now? The apparition of new variants, some that are much more dangerous than the Delta. It’s a hypothesis, but let’s not take the chance of finding out the consequences of new variants. Not enough people are getting their shots at the moment. This absolutely needs to change. If not, we will be dealing with another surge in cases, especially in developing countries.
Even the Delta is not to be taken lightly, as it accounts for approximately 83 percent of the infections in the country. This strain has taken over the first one. It is much more transmittable, leaving huge repercussions for younger generations.
Vaccination is our only way out of this pandemic. Far right folks and anti-vaxxers seem to forget about this fact. It will allow us to go back to a normal life in the near future, one where we don’t need to wash our hands constantly and where we don’t need to carry our masks everywhere we go, across the continents.
It’s a given, poor countries need more vaccines, and are desperately calling for more help as cases surge. The most frustrating thing in this situation is to see people not get the vaccine in a country like the US, even if they are offered, without a cost, to all citizens. They argue, based on freedom, we shouldn’t force them to inject something in their body without their consent.
I should also be free to not be contaminated by future variants of the virus that may make the vaccines ineffective. All of this is preventable thanks to microbiologists around the world who have been working day and night since the first COVID strain was found in Wuhan back in 2019. These essential workers have been working to protect us, let’s not forget about it.
The clock is ticking, if we don’t want to be in this constant state of fear in the next years. Most of us made so many sacrifices during the peak of the pandemic. Lockdowns, curfews and stores being closed is not something we want to relive. Workplaces and schools may need to close again if more citizens are not vaccinated.
This is the reason why people need to be informed and look at the facts when it comes to vaccination. Misinformation on social media platforms has become the norm and governments must take decisive actions in order to tackle this issue that causes deaths. Everyone, especially health workers, are tired and fed up by their overtime work since the beginning of this whole thing. Health experts like Dr. Fauci are clearly sick of repeating the same messages. President Biden still needs to convince a large chunk of the population to go stand in line for the vaccine. He did just that last week during a Town Hall on CNN, saying he is frustrated by the misinformation and the refusal from lots of people to receive their shots.
More and more, we are seeing cases of people who refused the vaccine when it was offered to them make a plea to everyone as they are dying on a hospital bed. They regret their decision, but sadly, it is too late; the damage has already been done. Prayers will not do when someone is hit hard with the virus. Some don’t have symptoms after catching it, but lots suffer deeply even if they don’t have an underlying health condition. This invisible enemy doesn’t discriminate. Everyone can catch it.
It is not just about getting it; it’s also about the long-term effects of COVID. Some have difficulty breathing months after catching it, some have terrible headaches and are constantly fatigued. A minority lose the capacity to smell and taste. No one wants to go through these effects.
Thank God we have vaccines so soon after discovering the new coronavirus. Let’s take advantage of this. Everyone who refuses the vaccine tends to forget that when they were a child they got vaccines, which protected them from many deadly diseases. Thus, if you want to send your kid to public school anywhere in the US, they must have certain vaccines, including against Chickenpox and Polio.
Vaccines work and refusing them is not a good freedom argument, well at least it shouldn’t be used as one. We all have rules that we need to follow in society and COVID shouldn’t be any different. We shouldn’t have the right to put the lives of others in danger, which it is the case for people who don’t want to be vaccinated.
Governments all need to go further to slow down the spread of the virus and protect the most vulnerable. Take the example of France and Macron’s leadership. It is a great start: all healthcare workers should be immunized before entering their workplace.
I believe that it’s a bold but intelligent move by the French president. In addition, I wouldn’t be against making it mandatory for all citizens. If this is what it takes to end the pandemic, let’s use all of the resources available. When we are talking about making it mandatory- as it is the case with vaccination passports to be able to go to certain public places and travel- it should be the two doses and not just one (expected for the Janssen vaccine).
It is everywhere on earth, and that’s why we need to regroup ourselves and tackle this virus together. We are in the fight of our lives, as we protect ourselves and all of our neighbours.
