Aidonian's blog

well first of, the vaccins work. But they were designed to fight the alpha variant and now we are stuck with the delta variant which is more infectious than the alpha. Which is troublesome on its own. The vaccins also work with the delta variant but less than against the alpha variant. It’s better than nothing I suppose. We have several drugs that are being manufactured to help fight the disease. 

We know that the vaccins severely lower the risk of being hospitalised or to die from it.  It doesn’t mean that you are immune. In fact the way this virus behaves is that it gets through your immune system without being detected because your immune system does not recognise it. There is where the vaccins come in. The vaccins help your body recognise the virus and help fight it. You have a better fighting chance with the vaccine than without. With the vaccine the risk of long term COVID problems are lower than without. For example. A salesman who got infected in the first wave, did end up in coma and survived but more than a year later still has problems breathing at times. A friend of mine his wife got infected and it settled on her liver. She can’t lift heavy things and when she goes to bed, she immediately falls asleep. These are the long term effects of covid without the vaccine. This should be worrisome for anybody. 

We do know that with the delta variant two vaccins work less after 4 months and 2 after 6 months. I can’t say about Sputnik 5 or other vaccines because I don’t have that information. 

So how did got so bad in the first place? 

Well in oktober the governments decide to let go of most restrictions which meant the virus had free reign. And it used that opportunity. Since for dogmatic reasons that some governments decided to do nothing to little for the schools, that it seems that the  schools are on the verge of collapse. Teachers and students in quarantine. Teachers and students getting sick which meant closing of classes and in some cases even schools. Trace centres are understaffed and not equipped to deal with this new situation which meant that some people hear to late that they have to go into quarantine and get tested. 

The whole jo jo effect of release and restrictions is most likely to make sure that people are fed up with it. Now that they want to mandate vaccins in healthcare sector – which is a good thing- but that they are going to fire anyone who refuses is a step to far. Healthcare workers are working their butts off to fight this pandemic and this is the thanks they get? No, not good. The commercialisation of hospitals in general and budget costs for staff has made it so that hospitals can’t handle the influx of patients as well as they could have with more people. Instead of investing in that, they haven’t done anything to improve it and except a pay rise. 

In Flanders, Belgium we have around 8 % of people who didn’t want to be vaccinated. Most have their reasons. Some because of their lies they believed like conspiracy theories others because of unknown reasons like fear of what it might do to them concerning side effects. 

Some are rabid anti Vaccins. But the rest, we need to talk with them as to why they don’t want to be vaccinated.  It’s not ok to demonise them. That creates friction. The far right uses this to their advantage in a effective way it seems to further fuel the chaos. 

The motto of those anti vaxxers seem to be individual freedom. But they forgot that their freedom ends when it impairs the freedom of others. It’s one thing to say that you want to be in control of your body and what happens to it, but it’s another thing when that decision could hurt other people as well. In a pre pandemic society we could say ok. It’s your choice. During a pandemic we must ponder the implications of that decision. As a society we have the duty to protect those who could get seriously sick or die from a pandemic virus. So we must ponder the implications of allowing individual rights to trump the rights of a minority who could seriously get sick or die from a pandemic virus? 

I’m not making the case that in times of a pandemic we should suspend those rights. That’s never a good idea and could be abused by those who seek total power.. We need to educate people as to why it’s best to get vaccinated and explain what happens when you get vaccinated and how it helps others as well but most importantly yourself. If you want people to do it, explain it and do it again and again. Talk with them and say it’s for their own good and that of the society. Yes, there will always be side effects but you have those when you take medication for heart, kidney and whatnot. There might be people with medical reasons who can not take any vaccins. Some might react allergic to it. That has to be monitored and examined by doctors. If we want to come out of this pandemic, we need to let go of political dogma’s and follow the science. We know now more than 100 years ago during the Spanish flu and our behaviour hasn’t changed a bit. We still make the same mistakes.

one thing is clear. We need to come together again to strengthen our bonds of community to fight this pandemic together instead separately. We need to stop demonising those who for whatever reasons chooses not get vaccinated and talk to them, find out why they don’t want it.

otherwise it will take longer and violence will happen. You can sense it that people are in opposites of each other. We need to break that cycle. And the only way to do make sure that violence does not erupt is to talk and listen. Not talk and talk down on them. If we can do that, than perhaps we come out of it stronger. The way things are going now, only weakens us more.