Many still wary of the jab ‘ ’

TotT readers weigh in on vaccine developments

TotT’sFacebook question was: On Sunday minister of health Zweli Mkhize announced that SA was aiming to vaccinate 67% of the population with the Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the year. What is your view of the vaccine?

Many TotT readers appeared sceptical of the side-effects of the vaccine, while few others asserted that they were looking forward to it.

Michael Lightfoot expressed uncertainty. “How come there is a vaccine just like that?”

Richard Roach said: “No. What are the long-term side effects?”

Mike Theron said: “I’ll go after they have done a million. First see what’s the side effects.”

Sandy Ruth Caplan made a similar statement. “I’ll be a perfect lady and let everyone go first,” she said.

Gordon Hendricks said based on video interviews with doctors and professors he had been watching, there was no way they were going to inject him with the vaccine. He highlighted the health risks involved as reasons for his objection.

Eve Folley said: “You can shove it where the sun doesn’t shine!” Folley added that the vaccine was dangerous and people should do some research. She was echoed by

Nick Louw.

Julia Smuts said: “One of my elderly relatives in the UK was just informed she would now have to wait 12 weeks for her booster shot, not the three that had been promised, because authorities had decided to inoculate as many vulnerable people as possible with the first round. So what has happened to the science now?”

Stating his readiness, Grahame Martin said: “I’d have it today if it were available”. Marilyn Pattenden said: “Me too.”

Angela Farthing also said she would have it. Deirdre Bailey said she would be first in line.

Russell Deutschmann commented on government dropping the ball. “Forget the health risk this could cause, we have not even got the first lot in as our government could not/ did not pay on time,” he said.

Shawn Radloff said: “67% ... never, not in SA. Half of the vaccine will disappear and be sold elsewhere to buy Mercs and Ferraris.”

Dean de Villiers said: “This health minister is obviously not a conscious human. The entire department seems to be hijacked by certain individuals. If they only had enough money to pay for vaccines that will only be arriving in April (in the second quarter of 2021) for 10% of the population, where is he going to find the funds and vaccines for the remaining 53,000,000 who have not been infected by this plandemic? 29,000 deaths over a period of 10 months out of a population of 58,000,000 (2,900 deaths / month since March last year) is not a pandemic. It’s a plandemic to enrich a handful of people.”

Ed Gutsche said: “If they vaccinate 10,000 a day it will take them years to finish it. They also stated that they are waiting for herd immunity which, based on October’s numbers of 20%, must by now be closer to 60%.”

Merlin Houzet said he did not believe in the vaccine.

Ian Jamieson said “Never, their speech was just lip service to the nation, claiming to have already paid R280m for the vaccine, not a cent has been paid and they don’t have it.”

DorothyAnne Sutton directed her comments at other people’s responses. “Lots of believers in mumbo jumbo here,” she said. Colleen Purdon said: “Lots of people believe in conspiracy theories as well.”

Mzukisi Ka-Gwata said:

“Vaccination is a fairly standard thing in SA. We vaccinate our infants all the time. In fact over 80% of children in the world are vaccinated. South Africans who travel to certain parts of world know they will not be allowed access if they don’t produce yellow fever certificate. The efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines has been reported to over 90%. The sooner we get vaccines the better!”