Amid all the finger pointing, frustration, yelling, protesting, delivering of “liability papers” to the medical officer of health, the fact remains, we are basically all to blame for the sad COVID-19 state we’re in.
For starters, let’s focus on people who often think they are above reproach – the fully vaccinated.
We (everyone in The Chatham Voice is fully vaccinated) are the ones who have more freedom to travel, to gather indoors in places such as bars and restaurants. Too many of us have the misguided concept that we are impervious to the virus and that we cannot spread it.
That is just not true.
In recent days, about half of the new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario are in people who are fully vaccinated.
In most situations, a fully vaccinated individual is much more likely to experience milder symptoms of the virus, as the vast majority of people who have been hospitalized locally with COVID-19 are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated. Those fully vaccinated are also less likely to spread it than someone who is unvaccinated.
However…
Here in Chatham-Kent, a fully vaccinated person died last week of COVID-19.
With travel restricted to only those of us who are fully vaccinated, new variants of the virus are jumping continents and arriving in Canada.
You can’t blame the unvaxxed on this.
Too many of us who are fully vaccinated think they are invulnerable and revert to pre-COVID habits in terms of gathering in numbers, forgetting social distancing and hand washing routines.
But you aren’t invulnerable. The vaccine behaves like a bulletproof vest; it protects you for the most part. But the fact remains that your extremities are exposed.
So, as many fully vaccinated individuals point at those who are unvaccinated as the problem, they need to look in the mirror.
As for the unvaccinated folks, we remind you this is not one massive global conspiracy. Look at the infighting in such places as the European Union or even here in North America over free trade. A handful of governments can’t agree on much, let alone expecting collusion from all countries on the virus.
COVID is real; the vaccine is a huge, but not perfect, boost in terms of protection; there is no tiny chip in the shot. That’s not needed, as our tracking devices are usually in our hands; our smartphones.
We can all do better and do our part.
