Thought of the Day - December 6 2021 - Ex Vaxxers

For some time there has been an ongoing drive to get as many people vaccinated in Canada as possible. Unfortunately, our authorities seem to equate wanting to get vaccinated with wanting to make vaccination mandatory ( Thought of the Day - November 3 2021 - Vaccine Passport Exemptions ). Even labelling those who are "fully vaccinated" and yet oppose mandatory vaccination as anti-vaxxers.

Concerning the difference between getting vaccinated and making it mandatory for all, consider smoking. Smoking still kills three times the number of people each year in Canada as COVID (48k vs 16k). Over the years, many people have quit smoking for medical, financial or personal reasons. It is great to see so many have decided they are better off without cigarettes. These people may also have encouraged others to stop. However, I am pretty sure if you polled ex-smokers you would find very few advocating measures such as Federal employees who still smoke should be fired. Indeed such a measure just sounds preposterous.

I know smoking is not transmissible, I guess other than through social pressure to start it up or minor effects from secondhand smoke, but please remember there is no evidence or even suggestion by their manufactures that says current COVID vaccines have any significant effect on transmission anyway ( Thought of the Day - October 8 2021 - Delta Spreaders ).

So today we have the true anti-vaxxers, those that have not wanted to get vaccinated from the start. On top of these people, we have a growing number who are opposed to COVID vaccine mandates, a polite way to say mandatory vaccination. However more recently, a new group is emerging that I will call ex-vaxxers. These are people who did indeed did get vaccinated but have no plans to continue.

As with all groups, there are varied reasons for the rising numbers of ex-vaxxers:

1. The most obvious is the 28,000 people to date who officially have had significant side effects from earlier vaccines. In addition, there are scores more that had problems but as they did not require urgent medical attention are not part of this statistic. Along with them, of course, are their loved ones. Those who witnessed the trauma or have lost a loved one to vaccination.

2. Then there are those that are frustrated by the ongoing change in messaging. They were told they were "fully vaccinated". Whether implicitly or explicitly they understood vaccination would lead to personal immunity, a significant reduction in transmission and ultimately herd immunity. None of these have turned out to be the case. Thus they see little reason to continue.

3. There are those who are now questioning the end-game. What is the overall objective here? Is it really to give out as many doses of vaccine as possible? They are awaiting a concrete plan concerning ongoing boosters, vaccines specific to new variants, and even the positioning of other therapeutics, now submitted for approval, before going any further.

4. Next, there are the people who have accepted that vaccination and vaccine mandates are one and the same. As they are opposed to mandatory vaccination they are protesting by choosing not to continue with repeat vaccination.

5. Finally, there are those that, for altruistic reasons, do not want additional COVID vaccination in Canada. Instead, they either want to donate their doses to others around the world who have yet to receive a single shot or believe the billions of dollars each round of vaccination costs would be better spent saving lives being lost in other areas.

What I am implying is while only about 13% of "eligible" Canadians have chosen not to have the first dose, and about 17% the second dose, there are going to be considerably more ex-vaxxers not wanting ongoing doses.

Canada needs to think long a hard about the next steps we take. Looking at what is unfolding in Australia right now, do we really want to follow in their footsteps?

Cheers

Cliff