To those who refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine

Anonymous writes: When your human rights infringe mine, your argument is no longer valid. When did we become such an individualistic, selfish society? Cayman, the Caribbean region and the world as a whole? No longer do we think of the collective, everything is about the individual. The level of narcissism that has permeated throughout our daily lives is staggering. NO vaccine is 100% reliable in preventing a virus. Think of all of our childhood vaccines; there is a reason why you have to keep doing boosters throughout the years. Please read here for general vaccine info.

What vaccines do is give the individual and the community a fighting chance to suppress the virus, halt mutations and minimise its symptoms if infected. The same applies to the COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 is not the common flu. The “flu” is from the influenza virus (which, by the way, also has an annually-updated vaccine which minimises symptoms, helping to prevent death). COVID-19 is a strain of a coronavirus that causes disease in mammals and birds. They can range from mild to severe, which we have seen with SARS, MERS and now COVID-19.

The current COVID-19 vaccine is based on the one developed for SARS in the early 00’s. This is not a “new, rushed” vaccine — it has been around for 20 years and modified to combat this SARS coronavirus strain.

It is baffling to me how anti-vaxxers are twisting the facts to fit their selfish, narcissistic, individualistic beliefs. To use discrimination as a bully tactic is a downright farce. Because of your selfishness to get vaccinated, you continue to give the virus a host (your body) to thrive and mutate, and impact all of us. The virus and related-vaccine is not a race, a religion or a sexual orientation. It is a CHOICE that you are making based on your individualistic self. As such, an employer has the right to make certain demands based on your CHOICE to not get vaccinated and the harm you are causing to the community as a result. It is for this very reason that the education system requires certain vaccines be administered to your child before they are accepted into the system.

We are at the beginning stages of a shrinking economy and serious crime (including gang-related) is on the rise — anyone who doesn’t realise how inextricably linked the two are is again an ostrich with its head in the sand who hasn’t been impacted fully yet. We are right back at post-2008 recession levels with one out of 10 Caymanians unemployed. We need to open our borders and the expressed wish is that we do it safely. The best way we can do this is taking one for the team, right in the arm.

I, for one, am sick and tired of all of the misinformation and conspiracy theories floating around. Stop trying to find narratives on the “interweb” to support your selfishness and start listening to the countless experts telling you the vaccine is our best chance at beating this virus. For what it is worth, you are already being tracked and controlled by the little device you carry around with you for communication.

I thank the generations before us who unselfishly rolled up their sleeve and took the vaccine for diseases like polio (which is still not fully eradicated globally, that fight is still on). If only we could follow the examples of our forefathers and put community first, instead of thinking of our individualistic selves only.

This comment was in response to: Store boss demands staff reveal vaccine status