We must also vaccinate against fear and anxiety
IT’S the light at the end of the tunnel, the holy grail, a literal lifesaver … a COVID-19 vaccine. Queensland is leading the world when it comes to this quest, with Innovation Minister Kate Jones yesterday announcing human trials have started on the University of Queensland’s coronavirus immunisation candidate.
While our truly smart state may not need the jab for our physical health, it’s essential if our economy is to stay alive.
So long as COVID-19 continues to flourish around the globe, our tourism-based economy will decay.
And while the answer as to when or how this pandemic will end is not simple, the medical consensus appears to be that it will have to wait until a vaccine is developed.
Even then, there is no guarantee it will be a silver bullet – but any ammunition will be better than the nothing we currently have.
But what do we do when people refuse to fire that gun?
And it will be “when”, not “if”.
Just as Kanye West announced his presidential bid by expressing anti-vaccine sentiment, polls show that just half of the US population plans to get a COVID vaccine should it become available.
In the UK, a YouGov survey found that one in six respondents would not get vaccinated against coronavirus.
It’s easy to dismiss these anxieties as the sole concerns of conspiracy theorists, whose numbers have indeed exponentially multiplied alongside the virus itself, but that would be to do ourselves a disservice.
The justified rush to develop a COVID vaccine means that many who would never describe themselves as anti-vaxxers are now concerned that a loaded syringe may be every bit as dangerous as a loaded weapon.
I’ve heard these concerns from many residents here on the Gold Coast. They trust their government, they trust science, they don’t believe this vaccine is a bid for global domination by Bill Gates … but it just all seems too soon.
And it also seems not entirely necessary when living in a city where the actual threat of infection feels far-fetched.
Yet even while we on the Gold Coast celebrate the end of many restrictions, we are still living a half-life … and will continue to do so until the pandemic is officially over and the world’s tourists can safely visit us again.
Sure, we can finally dine in at our favourite restaurants, but how long can they survive without operating at full capacity?
If we are to truly end the economic hardship of this pandemic, and the death and illness around the world, then we need to find a way to make this vaccine palatable.
According to epidemiologists, upwards of 70 per cent of the population may need to develop immunity to COVID-19 through vaccinations to call an end to this crisis.
This is because being vaccinated not only directly protects you from infection, but it also helps others who may be too vulnerable to be vaccinated themselves. Once enough of the population has been vaccinated, it is much harder for the virus to spread.
That’s what they call “herd immunity”.
Which is why we can’t just write off vaccine concerns, we need to address them.
We need to discuss these vaccine trials explicitly, transparently and early.
We need voices from every demographic, in traditional and social media, explaining what is happening, why and what safety protocols are being met.
We need to come from a place of understanding, not contempt. While I hate that anti-vaxxers endanger our community, I can’t hate the anti-vaxxers themselves. By and large, they are loving parents and concerned citizens making decisions out of genuine care. To write off their worries is to fuel their fear.
The rush for a COVID-19 vaccine makes it all the more essential that we take the time to ease their anxieties.
Science is indispensable, but listening could be the ultimate lifesaver.
Read Ann Wason Moore every Tuesday and Saturday in the