Tough but necessary

There is uproar over President Biden’s defiant new plan to get most Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 (“The war on virus turns into war on unvaccinated,” Sept. 15, Gulf Today).

 It beats me how anti-vaxxers can keep insisting that inoculating themselves against the deadly virus tantamounts to trampling on their personal freedoms. The vaccine is not only a life saver but a proven measure against the spread of the deadly virus. If anything, their refusal amounts to trampling on common sense and the right to safety of fellow being.

As the article points out, the President has been trying for the last eight months since taking office, to appeal and convince anti-vaxxers that the jab is safe and the only weapon, as of now, against the raging virus. His recent measure is harsh but warranted because of the devastating surge in cases due to the Delta variant which is straining the nation’s health system and constricting its economy.

The pandemic has caused untold havoc, killing our loved ones, battering our economies and pushing millions into starvation and poverty. The world is still not free from the clutches of the pandemic which has already taken more than 4.5 million lives; of course the heaviest brunt is borne by America. And yet we hear politicians and people against science trying to brainwash others into shunning the vaccine.

It is common knowledge now that most patients hospitalized with COVID are the unvaccinated. Even more baffling is that these patients are 11 times more likely to die of the virus.

Besides this, their callous behaviour puts unnecessary strain on hospitals, health care workers and those involved in the health industry. One cannot ignore the danger they present to their families and friends. In fact by not taking the jab, they are stealing the personal freedoms of others, especially those who are unable to get vaccinated due to health conditions.

We can’t let people lacking common sense and respect for science ruin our lives. Bravo Biden, you did right.

Caroll Smith — By email