(Trinidad Guardian) Urging people to stop listening to misinformation, Archbishop Jason Gordon is pleading with citizens to get vaccinated to save T&T from social and economic ruin.
Speaking at the Living Waters Community Holy Mass yesterday, Archbishop Gordon begged the population to act responsibly.
“I am asking you please, please, please, please get vaccinated. There is spurious information circulating that is stopping people from being vaccinated. The way to celebrate this Independence and the gift you can give your country is to please, please, please get vaccinated. Let’s save each other from this,” he said.
He said 65 per cent of the anti-vaccination misinformation that was circulating on Facebook came from 12 influential social media users. Gordon also urged citizens to listen to the experts and to the science before making their choice to vaccinate.
“There is no science that says you will get a chip in your arm from Bill Gates, or that China will be able to track you. There is no science in that whatsoever. We know that 99.3 per cent of people who have died from COVID-19 from May this year were unvaccinated people. That is the science. The undisputed fact is unvaccinated people are dying at a higher rate than vaccinated people. That is the fact, you cannot dispute the numbers,” he said.
The Archbishop said it was painful to deliver his homily to an empty church but he warned that things could get worse if people refuse vaccinations.
“As long as there are huge pockets of people who are not vaccinated, the schools will stay closed again, businesses will be closed again, the Church will be closed again and social life is going to remain what it is right now,” Gordon added.
He said the Church had set up a south vaccination centre in its parish for people to get vaccinated.
Gordon said he has been speaking to several scientists, including his brother-in-law Dr Patrick Campbell, who is an infectious disease specialist, who all agree that vaccination was the second line of defence against the virus. The first line of defence is the washing of hands, social distancing and wearing a mask, he said.
“Over the last week, both Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar have pleaded with the nation to get vaccinated. They represent people in most of the country. They have pleaded and I have also pleaded that we all be vaccinated,” the Archbishop said.
Gordon said many people were not understanding the science and were trapped in Facebook algorithms that bombarded them with misinformation. For those who are confused, Archbishop Gordon urged them to follow the lead of their Church elders and get vaccinated.
He also slammed theological leaders who were against vaccinations, believing that the blood of Jesus will protect them from COVID.
“There is a difference between faith and stupidity. You don’t jump over a cliff. You know how many priests have died from COVID, holy men of God? They didn’t die because of God’s punishment,” he added.
The Archbishop said people should look at the scientific proof and go to get vaccinated. He said a southern vaccination site was set up to encourage vaccinations.
Meanwhile, Fr Robert Christo, parish priest at St Dominic’s Church in Penal, revealed that approximately 60-70 migrants went voluntarily for vaccinations at that site over the weekend. Father Christo said the migrants had requested this facility, as they referred to the parish as their “safe space.” They were briefed in managing fears of going to public vaccination sites and also about the misinformation being spread about COVID-19.
He also said the parish is seeking to partner with non-Catholic churches to get involved in mass vaccinations of their flocks.