Dear Editor,
The concern of the President and indeed many others about the increasing number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in Guyana is understandable. However, to follow other countries e.g. France, to implement vaccine passports or mandatory vaccines (directly or indirectly) will be a stretch too far.
If the vaccines do prevent infection from the virus, why are there still growing numbers of cases and deaths throughout the world even in countries which had aggressive vaccine administration? And why the belief that the vaccinated need to be safeguarded against the unvaccinated therefore the unvaccinated must be penalised for their rightful decision?
“Based on the scientific evidence, the narrative that unvaccinated people are viral factories for more dangerous variants is false
• Just as antibiotics breed resistance in bacteria, vaccines put evolutionary pressure on viruses to speed up mutations and create more virulent and dangerous variants
• Viruses mutate all the time, and if you have a vaccine that doesn’t block infection completely, then the virus will mutate to evade the immune response within that person. That is one of the distinct features of the COVID shots — they’re not designed to block infection. They allow infection to occur and at best lessen the symptoms of that infection
• In an unvaccinated person, the virus does not encounter the same evolutionary pressure to mutate into something stronger. So, if SARS-CoV-2 does end up mutating into more lethal strains, then mass vaccination is the most likely driver”
To address the present situation, people must focus on supporting natural immunity to the virus by maintaining a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise, proper use of dietary supplements especially Vitamin C and D, zinc. Practising all the other Covid protocols are also helpful.
It is not sufficient to encourage people to vaccinate without informing them of the resultant short or long term risks. There is no denying there are risks and people must know what these are so they can make an intelligent decision before submitting themselves through fear, for the injections. It is wrong for those who refuse the vaccines to be labeled as anti-vaxxers, because each person has a right to choose and consent to what is put into his/her body. Mandating vaccines will therefore be coercion and against human rights principles.
Sincerely,
Barbara Yan Fabre