Will the double-vaccinated be next to lose jobs?

The views expressed herein are solely those of the writer.

Opinion: On November 19, 2021, several public sector workers across St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), lost their jobs because they refused to take a Covid-19 vaccine and either refused or were denied medical or religious exemptions. Since then, there has been mixed reaction to the development, with some persons being unremorseful and others condemning the government’s vaccine mandate.

As more developed countries are changing the definition of ‘fully vaccinated,’ from two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine to three, the question has now shifted to whether the double-jabbed, if they refuse a third dose of the vaccine, would also be put on the breadline.

There is currently no requirement in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for anyone to have a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, but some immunocompromised persons are recommended to get boosted. There are brightening signals, however, from developed countries, that a widespread third dose requirement for everyone could be forthcoming.

In England, for instance, boosters and third doses will appear on the COVID Pass, making it easy for people to show their vaccine status when travelling abroad.

According to the UK Department of Health website, “Booster and third doses will not be added to the domestic COVID Pass as it is not a current requirement for individuals to receive booster doses to qualify as fully vaccinated. It will also not be necessary to show evidence of a booster for travel into England at this time.”

But, “the addition will enable those who have had their booster or third dose to travel to countries including Israel, Croatia and Austria who have already introduced a time limit for the COVID-19 vaccine to be valid for quarantine-free travel.”

Additionally, CNN reported on November 17, 2021, that “up to three Covid-19 vaccine doses to be considered fully vaccinated.”

See – The definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ is changing to three Covid-19 doses

“Waning vaccine immunity and rising infections due to the Delta variant has prompted wealthy nations to reconsider the definition of “fully vaccinated” — which usually means two Covid-19 jabs,” the report stated.

The CNN report added:

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted as much on Monday, saying boosters were vital to prevent pandemic restrictions from being reintroduced. “It’s very clear that getting three jabs — getting your booster — will become an important fact and it will make life easier for you in all sorts of ways,” he told a press conference.

In the US, according to NBC News, only 40 percent of Americans are at their strongest immunity level against Covid-19,  even as health officials warn that waning immunity among vaccinated people is leading to a rise in hospitalizations.  

“What we’re starting to see now is an uptick in hospitalizations among people who’ve been vaccinated but not boosted,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday in an NBC News interview.

Based on these developments in richer countries with high vaccination rates, is it reasonable to assume that third shots will soon become a requirement?

In the end, the death rate from Covid-19 still stands at the pre-vaccination level of 2 percent. This means that some 98 percent of the people who contract the virus recover, building a serious case for the role natural immunity after infection can play. There is the issue of Long Covid, but the adverse effects some people have faced from vaccination are being de-emphasized and underreported. Additionally, antiviral pills have entered the equation as potential alternatives to vaccines and have so far proven effective in cutting hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.

In the face of all these developments, governments seem hell-bent on relentlessly pushing the Covid-19 vaccines of their populations; vaccines that wane in six months, generally.

Are we headed into a Covid-19 vaccine dependency? How many more jobs will be lost if the new opium is refused?

By Concerned Citizen