Please Mr. President, do something! I want my life back!

I have really been trying to avoid arguing with anti-vaxxers, but the events of the last few days have pushed me (together I’m sure, with the majority of people in South Africa) to the edge.

I want my life back and I’m fast losing patience with all those who have read something on “Jannie and Susan’s Facebook” and now claim to have knowledge superior to that of the best scientists in the world.

I am also tired of being polite and tip-toeing around these people.

Let me tell you a true story: A while ago I was chatting to a couple who told me that they were not going to be vaccinated. The wife said that she had a strong enough immune system to fight COVID (no one can claim that) and the husband said he wanted to wait and see whether those of us who have been vaccinated experience any negative side effects (in other words – we must all be the “guinea pigs” for him). 

We were joined after a while by a communal friend, who unbeknownst to them, had just come from a memorial for her dad, who had passed away a few days earlier after contracting COVID from his daughter at her birthday party. He was an anti-vaxxer.

Yet, despite hearing this, the anti-vax couple maintained their position and, not wanting to cause conflict, I did the cowardly thing and walked away.

Yet, here we are again, on the eve of a fourth wave. Yes, it hurts that the world has unjustifiably stopped our flights, once more wreaking enormous damage to our economy.

I share the anger against these actions; they are clearly based on prejudicial views of Africa rather than scientific evidence.  

Yet, we also have to admit that those who choose to remain unvaccinated play a huge role in all of this. Firstly, they are contributing to the continuous mutation of the virus. Secondly, they are also giving Europe and the rest of the world ammunition to “justify” their draconian measures.  

It has to stop. 

It is time for the President and government to identify something more than shopping vouchers and airtime to motivate people to get vaccinated.

 In Ireland, for example, the government has declared that proof of vaccination is to be required to enter pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues. Given the Irish love for a pint, 90% of Irish citizens were vaccinated before you could say “Guinness”.

In Australia, there has been a “No Jab, No Pay” law in place even before COVID. This requires parents to get their children vaccinated or else forfeit state grants. Although they have not yet applied the principle to COVID vaccinations – it is an interesting concept.

Of course, only a few countries have made COVID vaccination compulsory for all citizens. Yet, many have some limited form of obligatory vaccination in sectors of the labour market. Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Italy, Egypt, Hungary, Fiji, Latvia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey and the Ukraine have all made it compulsory for civil servants, government employees and medical workers. This could also make a huge difference here.

In many European countries, you can’t enter restaurants, cafés, sports gatherings, or other events without proof of vaccination. 

Some private businesses in South Africa have implemented a policy of obligatory vaccinations, but it is not enough.

We have to find the South African version of the Irish “No jab, No pint” and if that doesn’t work, something more draconian. 

The bottom line is that we know for sure that 1) there is a massive global pandemic that is hugely infectious, 2) the virus mutates fast,  3) we have vaccines that can stop this pandemic if enough people are vaccinated fast enough, 4) that our economy will not recover until this pandemic is brought under control, and 5) that we will not get any form of normality back until enough people are vaccinated.

I understand that the majority of still unvaccinated people are not in principle against the vaccine; they are hesitant because they are scared.

 I am also willing to admit that I felt a flutter of anxiety a few seconds before the needle was put into my arm. Yet, I had to remind myself that over 7 billion doses have now been given globally, and whilst COVID has killed more than 5 million people, there are very few (if any) cases of death that can directly be attributed to the vaccine.  

Having had COVID in March 2020, I was also clear that I did not want to get it again. Even though I had it “lightly” it was no joke and I would do anything to avoid dying alone in ICU.

Most importantly, I wanted to keep others safe. I could not imagine anything worse than infecting my mum, other members of my family or friends, and in so doing causing their death. One of the worst parts of my family’s COVID experience in 2020 was the guilt and fear that we had inadvertently infected others before we knew we had it.

In our case it was a week after the first COVID positive case was announced in South Africa, so we did not know any better.

Yet, we all know a lot better today – and most importantly we have the choice of a vaccine.

So, instead of being angry with our brilliant scientists or the outside world (ok, we can be a bit angry at them), we should turn our energy to the only thing that will help – getting everyone vaccinated.