Time for illogical vaxx silliness to end

Could it possibly be that South Africa’s vaccination-hesitant and outright anti-vaxxers are finally getting the wake-up call they need? If rising jab figures are anything to go by, then we certainly hope so. The arrival of the omicron Covid variant – and its exponentially accelerating impact in terms of infections and hospitalisations – is perhaps behind the realisation for many that a virus is not going to respect you because you are, seemingly, a health “freedom fighter” who believes Covid is part of a control plot by the “New World Order”.

No, the virus is going to attack you in ways you never thought possible and, if you’re lucky and escape death or weeks in an intensive care unit (ICU), then you could carry the negative effects of the disease around with you for months, if not years.

It is also possible that people are starting to realise that they cannot, King Canute-like, push back the tide of vaccination mandates. Much as they protest about individual rights, the reality is that nobody will be dragged off to be forcibly vaccinated.

It’s just that if you don’t, your lifestyle will be impacted as you will increasingly find yourself barred from places and activities without proof of vaccination.

This pandemic has had more twists and turns than a psychological thriller and the science has had to evolve on the run to match the evolution of the virus itself.

What is plain – here in South Africa and around the world – is that it is the unvaccinated who are majority of the occupants of ICUs and mortuary vans.

Having the vaccination doesn’t mean you won’t get Covid or pass it along, but your chances of severe disease are greatly reduced, as is the propensity to infect others.

It’s time for the illogical vaxx silliness to end. Help yourself and help others.