FCCC Ceo Tells Fijians Not to Listen to Rumours on COVID-19 Vaccinations
It is very important to get vaccinated because achieving herd immunity is the best chance in getting back to normalcy and moving forward to recover from the effects of COVID-19.
Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC) chief executive officer (CEO), Joel Abraham believes those who are refusing to get vaccinated are being unpatriotic and not recognising the plight of many Fijians who cannot go back to work until we all get vaccinated.
“At a personal level, I believe that God has given the doctors and medical professionals the ability to help us fight such diseases,” Mr Abraham said.
“Refusing treatment and asking God to help goes against the principle that God helps those who help themselves. Basically, faith without action is dead.”
“Professionally, my duty as a Ceo is to set the right example for my colleagues and staff – and the right thing to do is to get vaccinated. I also have a duty to my country, as a Fijian, to do my part in helping Fiji become COVID-contained again.”
He said he saw it as being a key factor in ensuring the safety of all Fijians, especially for those that were more vulnerable, such as the elderly, our children, and those that have pre-existing conditions.
“That is why I am encouraging everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible - the faster we get vaccinated, the faster we slow down the community spread, and the faster we can start on our path to the normalcy we once knew,” he said.
He also said 96 per cent of FCCC staff had received their 1st dose and 34 per cent had been fully vaccinated.
“Internally, we are developing policies mandating vaccinations. Given we are a customer facing organisation that requires interactions we need our team to be safe. Our work requires us to conduct physical inspections and surveillance and we are continuing to carry out these tasks, but in a carefully planned manner,” he said.
He said he was doing his part by arming his staff with the right tools to be able to safeguard the rights of consumers, because they needed our support now more than ever.
“As a Fijian, I have become fully vaccinated and have made it a point to follow the guidelines that have been created to protect my family and I, as well as other Fijians,” he said.
Rumours
Mr Abraham addressed that there was absolutely nothing to fear and it was not the mark of the beast nor a one world order nor a conspiracy to depopulate.
“If this were so I would not have taken it nor allowed my family to take the vaccine. The injection itself only takes a few seconds and the medical personnel are very well trained at carrying out the process safely and with minimum discomfort.
“I understand that rumours are floating around discouraging people from getting vaccinated, but these rumours are fake. The vaccine is safe and will only serve to protect you and your family from serious illness and death,” he said.
Mr Abraham got his first jab in April and second jab in July.
“I am fully vaccinated. My family members are awaiting their second jab this coming month,” he said.
Advice
Mr Abraham adviced Fijians to put the wellbeing of their loved ones first, which meant to avoid listening to false prophets and rumours.
“Millions of people around the world and thousands of Fijians have been vaccinated and they are all doing fine,” he said.
“We are very fortunate to have the vaccines so readily available to us thanks to our Australian and New Zealand neighbours, so I encourage those who are yet to be vaccinated to not waste time and to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”