To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? That is the question.
A vaccine to fight the deadly virus is out — so why isn’t the public taking it? Find out here.
Written by: Saleha K
Logically you’d assume that the human instinct we have would always tell us to survive, right? So, when our very ‘capable’ government tells us that there is a vaccine you would think there was an influx of people that want to take it. I thought so too, however, this is not the case.
A bit of background, now we have 2 vaccines and a third that may be coming into circulation. The first and the most known is the Pfizer vaccine. It came out in early December and was joined by the Oxford vaccine a month or so later. We have successfully administrated over 19 million first doses of both vaccinations which are quite impressive, with the hopes that a majority of adults will be vaccinated by the end of the year. Statistics show that the UK is one of the top 3 countries when it comes to the best supplied vaccines per person, which is quite commendable.
In regards to vaccinations and the recent government lockdown changes, many key-workers such as police and teachers have voiced their opinions on the need to be vaccinated to do their jobs safely and effectively. This has been circulating new stories and articles a lot lately and if I am honest I do see sense in it. However, this by no means negates the structure the government has put in place. The truth of the matter is we are in a predicament and the people who set the rules have taken a decision that is supported by scientific statistics.
Continuing with this discussion on how the UK has been quite strategic in who they are vaccinating and in what order, I cannot deny that there is sense and a clear strategy behind it so then why are those that are being offered it choosing not to? Now, it isn’t everyone but many even those in my friends and family circle have countless fears.
Research shows that the fears around the vaccines are due to the following;
- Most of the public are scared to get the vaccine
- Some say the vaccine was created faster than any usual vaccine
- How was it made so fast, usually takes years?
- The myth of there being a microchip in the vaccine
- Side effects (long term)
- Not enough information about it given to the public
- Not enough testing and results -new techniques being used in the middle of a pandemic
- The possibility the vaccine does not work on a % of people, what if some individuals fall into that category
- Inserting COVID particles could mean the vaccine side doesn’t work but you get infected instead
From a personal perspective, I really wanted to know where these fears derive from because I knew I could not negate the fact that they were in many ways legitimate. Fundamentally, you cannot tell someone their fears are not valid regardless of how much logic and facts you tell them. My parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents who have very little understanding of what a vaccine is and how it works, it was natural for them to feel worried. A few members of my family booked in their vaccination the very next day of receiving an email/text, whereas others are still contemplating weeks later.
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