Get vaccinated today! Let’s get our lives back on track

Dear Editor,
In 2020, I wrote, “any rational examination will lead to the conclusion that we cannot avoid COVID-19 infections and deaths and those most vulnerable should take as many precautions as affordable” (published on 20.5.20).
Today, all Guyanese have access to COVID-19 vaccines, made available by the Government at no cost to the recipient. This is as affordable as it gets, and yet many are hesitating or are outright refusing to get inoculated.
The hesitant and intransigent are now feeling pressured because of new Government regulations requiring proof of vaccination for entry into Government buildings, recreation and dining facilities, etc. The country has become a battlefield between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, and the politicians have entered the fray to add to the already confusing landscape.
There must be a better way to assist the undecided, the uninformed, and even the intransigent than to force the vaccine down their throats. We can begin with understanding their hesitancy, and providing helpful information to overcome it.
In Guyana, we have Sputnik V, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Sinopharm readily available. A small quantity of Moderna was donated and utilised also. The Russian COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, uses a weakened virus to deliver small parts of a pathogen and stimulate an immune response.
The Oxford AstraZeneca is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from chimpanzees. It has been modified to contain genetic material shared by the coronavirus – although it can’t cause the illness. Once injected, it teaches the body’s immune system how to fight the real virus. Sinopharm is an inactivated virus vaccine. This means it’s made from viral particles produced in a lab, which are then inactivated so they can’t infect you with COVID-19. The vaccine is mixed with an adjuvant, which is a substance added to vaccines to stimulate a stronger immune response. The Sinopharm vaccine contains many proteins the immune system can respond to, stimulating the production of antibodies to fight COVID-19. Many other vaccines use similar platforms, including injectable polio, Hepatitis A, and flu vaccines.
Editor, above is the technical information, but there are other reasons for persons to inoculate against the virus. A refusal to vaccinate puts your own life at risk, which is a choice that a person should enjoy in a free society. However, refusal also puts the lives of others at risk. Our children are experiencing truncated childhoods, unable to attend school for over a year, valuable periods of socialisation lost forever; soon they will return to classrooms, and the onus is upon responsible adults to ensure that we minimise the risk they encounter.
Teachers who refuse to inoculate are not part of the solution, but are creating a problem where none should exist. It is a teacher’s right to refuse vaccination, but it is the responsibility of the authorities to put the welfare of our children first. Other professions exist for teachers who refuse to inoculate, and the same applies to all professions.
Coretta McDonald of the Guyana Teacher’s Union is organising a protest against the possible mandatory vaccination of teachers, and in her voice note to members, she ended with the following words: “Remember, wear your masks. Wear them correctly every time you have to go out there. Wear them, and if you have to be in large crowds, ensure that you sanitize, you wash your hands, you wash when you get home, you take every single necessary precaution when you get home from these events”, this is the advice of a fully vaccinated person to unvaccinated teachers; it is vile advice from a heartless place.
I have survived COVID-19 (without fuss) being inoculated with Sputnik V (both doses). I look forward to returning to normalcy, real freedom from masks, endless bouts of sanitizers, and meaningless temperature checks and curfews. All of these curtails to our life can cease to exist when Guyana gets to a higher percentage of inoculation.
Get vaccinated today! Let’s get our lives back on track and our children back into schools safely.

Sincerely,
Robin Singh
COVID-19 survivor