Booster shots can help save lives

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In the four-day period between Sunday, December 12th, and yesterday Wednesday, December 15th, 103 citizens lost their lives to the COVID-19. Up to yesterday 2,486 citizens of this country had succumbed to the virus.

Let that figure sink in – 2,486 nationals have died from the virus. The vast majority of those who have died did not have a single dose of a vaccine, preferring to remain unvaccinated, the small number who were vaccinated had comorbidities.

These statistics are real. If we were to convert that to murders, the number of deaths would have occurred at the very least over a five-year period.

It should worry everyone that these deaths are occurring so rapidly and what’s important is that they can be reduced by our very own actions.

As of yesterday, 656,926 citizens were fully vaccinated, and over 500 people were hospitalized.

This newspaper has time and again emphasized the importance of vaccination in the fight against the COVID-19 virus. Across the globe, it is referred to as the pandemic of the unvaccinated.

It should concern everyone that a large percentage of the population continues to stand firm against the vaccine.

Last weekend Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley told Guardian Media that he was giving consideration to making the public service a safe zone. That is something that we have long called for, that the government should move to ensure that persons who want to do transactions in government offices must be vaccinated.

The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber and the Energy Chamber both came out in support of the initiative, fully understanding that without a larger percentage of the population getting vaccinated, there is little hope that the daily double-digit deaths and triple-digit new cases would stop.

The Supermarket Association added its voice of support, saying while it also wished to see government offices and public spaces deemed safe zones, the association could not in “good conscience, refuse customers the right to access that at our stores.”

One understands that people whether they are vaccinated or not need food to survive. One cannot fault the Supermarket Association which has done yeoman service in walking the talk as far as vaccination is concerned. Its own mass vaccination drive resulted in over 70,000 citizens being vaccinated.

While it cannot declare supermarkets as safe zones, it is suggesting that the government’s “policy position must guide the nation alongside constant education of the pros versus the cons of vaccination.”

But what it comes down to is personal responsibility. Every citizen has a personal responsibility to protect themselves, their family, their loved ones, and by extension the national citizenry.

The reality is that many citizens have been crying out for a return to a state of normalcy, they have been enjoying the removal of the State of Emergency and curfew, they have literally been freeing up with the reopening of bars, etc, but the sad reality is that many of those enjoying the ‘perks’ of the loosening of restrictions continue to put themselves and others at risk, refusing to take the vaccine.

As citizens who want to return to a state of normalcy, now is the time to remind each other of the importance of personal responsibility.

Today we are hearing that because of the constant increase in COVID deaths the public morgues are overfilled and now the private funeral homes are being asked to assist.

No one knows how much worse this situation will get with the relatively unknown Omicron variant. What we do know is that vaccination and boosters can protect us.