Dear Editor,
Guyanese singer Eddie Hooper, in the 70s, sang, “Take warning, you better take warning…you better do good…respect your fellow men as you should.” The Assembly of God preacher said, “Be like the wise virgins, not the foolish virgins who were not prepared” (Matthew 25:1-13). The Full Gospel Fellowship pastor said, “Too late, too late shall be the cry (Luke 13:25).
I asked my friend Suresh what he would recommend, that somebody said, “There must be a better way to assist the hesitant non-vaccinated,” and that another person said the vaccine resisters need more education.
Suresh said, in his own inimitable village accent, “Tell them rass you go dead if you nah get vaccinated.” I said, “Suresh, we have to say the same thing, but in a nicer way. We don’t want any more Guyanese to die, we already have over 550 people dead.”
I noticed there are some political surrogates of the PNC, the GTU, and now the GPSU – whose top brass are well vaccinated – using their members as political fodder, telling them, “GPSU acknowledges and will fiercely defend the rights of any citizen, particularly its members, who refuse treatment and medical intervention, as well as those who wish to keep their medical information confidential.”
If workers’ organisations truly care, would they not be emphasising more on the benefits of vaccination, rather than saying we will back you if you resist the Government’s efforts to keep the nation safe?
How much does the GPSU have in its medical and funeral support fund for the non-vaxxers? Workers need to be careful that fully vaccinated union leaders, MPs and politicians are not using them as pawns in their political games. Be wise and take care of yourselves and families! If you or a family member gets infected with the virus, those same agitators will be nowhere around to help you in your trials and tribulations!
I notice the anti-vaccination crowd is using the slogan, “my body, my choice” which is a “pro-abortion” slogan used in the USA. It might be an appropriate slogan to use, since the “anti-vax” crowd essentially are saying they have the right to abort their lives. The rest of us are “pro-life” and “pro-country.” In Guyana now, where adopting the self-styled titles of “Apostle” and “Bishop” is a new church gimmick, there is an “Apostle” fellow having a protest using the “pro-abortion” slogan. In the Facebook blogs, “Soph” said, “If you choose not to be vaccinated, as is your right, we choose not to serve you, or come close to you, as is our right. And if COVID-19 chooses you, you will be comforted to know that we will sympathise.”
Someone writing as “Better way to Retire” said, “Virus doesn’t know politics. Those individuals and their families know what a nightmare and hardships the deadly experiences unleash, including tying up public and private resources.” Al Fernandes said, “Tek de damn vaccine, my fellow Guyanese! It is NOT the ‘mark of the beast’. Damn.”
An unvaccinated Virginia man, Travis Campbell, who has a wife and seven children, is in the intensive care unit battling complications from the virus. He said, “I messed up big time, you guys — I didn’t get the vaccine.” Campbell said, “I’m trying to talk to you so you understand that I don’t want to go to your funeral and I don’t want you to come to mine. The new delta strain…will get you down so fast you are not going to get back up.”
Dr. Steven Brown, a physician in Missouri, USA, said, “It’s inconceivable. They’re seeing people taking the last breaths and still denying the existence of the disease itself, still denying that there is a vaccine that can help them.” He said “One hundred percent of those who are requiring ventilator support, who were the sickest of the sick, have not been vaccinated.” Theresa Rosenberry said, “If you don’t want to get the vaccine, that is your right. But you’re going to need to get your affairs in order and talk to your significant other where you want to be buried, or if you want to be cremated. Because there is a good chance it can happen to you.”
In yesterday’s news, 6 members of one Florida church died from COVID-19 in 10 days, according to its pastor, who is encouraging people to get vaccinated, and the church is holding vaccination drives.
The USA, Canada, UK, European Union, and many countries are moving towards requiring people to be vaccinated. So, those political agitators who think they can claim the Government is a dictatorship and suppressing freedoms will not gain attention, support, and traction. We are in an international state of emergency, and there is no court that will say anyone’s rights are being violated. The Government has done a good job in getting the vaccines; it’s your turn to take advantage of its availability to you. Please accept this bit of education.
Sincerely,
Dr Jerry Jailall
