Don’t be lenient with people who refuse to be vaccinated

 

From Moaz Nair

Covid-19 vaccination rates have surged. Only a minority remain unyielding and against vaccination for some flimsy reasons. In all likelihood, this minority will be spreaders of the virus.

It’s time for a policy of mandatory vaccination of all citizens.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Aug 2 that more than 164 million people have been fully vaccinated, just under half of the total US population. Yet 97% of those taken to hospital with Covid-19 are unvaccinated.

Our health system is in a dire state. Some hospitals are crammed with Covid-19 patients and the number of cases do not seem to subside. The process of “find, test, trace, isolate, support” has not been fully effective and has not covered a wide spectrum of the population. The number of those infected with the virus has now exceeded 1.5 million and the number of deaths is now more than 15,000.

No doubt that contact tracing and isolation can reduce the risk of the virus spreading into the community, but this has not been effectively worked out. Frontliners are risking their lives in attending to Covid-19 patients. Hospitals are understaffed. Doctors and other staff are working round the clock. Even grave diggers are busy day and night with burying the dead.

It’s a miracle that hospitals are still coping, given the number of Covid-19 patients being admitted.

Regrettably, there are still some citizens who refuse to get the Covid-19 vaccine, while many others have not come forward to be vaccinated. These are the people who are going to be a bane to the healthcare system. The only solution now is to make life a little difficult for these people.

The snag faced by the authorities is that many foreigners working in factories, as well as illegal immigrants and refugees, are reluctant to come forward. The living conditions of many of these people are relatively appalling and can give rise to super spreaders in their community.

The authorities should stop trying to be lenient with people who repudiate facts and science. Some of their traditional and unproven formulas for overcoming Covid-19 are certainly not based on scientific evidence and will not curb the spread of the virus.

The most worrying part is that they have been so often brainwashed by deliberate faking of facts, which has done harm to their psyche and mentality.

These people are making life difficult for the rest of the population, healthcare frontliners and the economy. They will actually harm their own health and others by denying themselves protection against a deadly disease that has affected 214 million people and killed over 4.5 million worldwide.

Of late, there have been cases of teachers in public schools refusing to be vaccinated. It is not going to be safe for children to attend school.

Persuasion will not work against these incalcitrant and obstinate citizens. Nor will voluntary vaccinations.

The authorities must focus on people who are doing the right thing and protect the rule-abiding.

We need a system of governance in which every layer of society is held accountable and is responsible. We must make it compulsory for all people to be vaccinated. - FMT

Moaz Nair is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.