To inoculate or not to inoculate. This has been perhaps the greatest question posed by 2020, which gave birth to a calamity that marks as one of the worst throughout mankind’s history, and is a query that pervades to this day. The idea even becomes more relevant now that many governments are taking action towards it, including Australia whose majority of its population have yet to be recipients of their own immunity booster doses.
With many around the world still to receive what mainstream media claims as a potential solution to an ongoing pandemic that has already claimed millions of lives across the globe, how does the idea of vaccination fare among Aussies?
The concept of inoculation is a topic of contention among many people since its inception and despite its subsequent remark as one of the 20th century’s greatest inventions in public health. While some see it as a gift that eradicated and prevented the occurrence of certain diseases known to humanity, others view it as something ominous—seemingly innocent and benevolent, but carries hidden danger not many are aware about.
So much so that people are split into two camps regarding vaccination—those who favour it regardless of what opposition suggests, or the pros, and those who oppose the idea of introducing something artificial into the human body for fear of its repercussions and are therefore against it, or the antis.
For a subject of discussion that has long been plagued with controversy, it only comes as without surprise why something new, and seemingly rushed, as the COVID-19 vaccine also gets a heightened sense of suspicion as a key to putting an end to a progressing global health crisis.
But is there something to what naysayers are claiming that they remain steadfast in their belief, despite what convention is pushing?
The public’s mistrust over immunity shots is not without its merits, drawing from startling accounts about people’s varying experiences after getting their injections, which boil down to a few important things—its varied effects, potential adverse reactions, efficacy, and concerns over cases of death. While the first few concerns could be brushed off as trivial, if not moderately concerning, death, on the other hand, is an issue that is hard to overlook, especially if it is induced by a means that was made to offset it to begin with.
It is worth noting also that the vaccines being introduced into the public came after only a year after the onset of SARS-CoV-2, which, by industry standards, is too short a time to come up with a comprehensive study, which inevitably raises concern over the extent of our awareness over the problem at hand. This is not even taking into account the belief that the virus in question, like all viruses are, is said to be evolving.
The subject of inoculants is a complex topic for most people, even to the experts who dabble with them as a profession, which factors in a myriad of ingredients used in their making as well as the vastly intricate human body they’re to be used for. In a nutshell, however, the COVID-19 vaccine we are dealing with works in relation to our genes and contains an element of the virus it is meant to fight off; but which its proponents claim to be “not disease-causing” and rather plays essential role in inducing antibodies in the body.
It means that those who receive the vaccine would theoretically equip themselves with antigens that could counter COVID-19 infection, which would otherwise only be the case after they contracted and survived the ordeal, much like how our immune system adapts and strengthens itself after subsequent bouts with pathogens—basically, the crux behind the mass vaccination agenda.
On paper, it does sound like the ideal answer. But with the issues inherent with the method still ever present, and hard to ignore, many would still be on the fence in making the jump towards getting the shots. While some people, however, especially those in certain jobs (particularly in health care) and people wishing to travel may not be given an option, being vaccinated will likely soon become a requirement.
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