As we have just stepped into the new year, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel with the rolling out of the coronavirus vaccine.
Produced in record time, the new vaccine brings relief in the fight against the virus that has become more contagious since it mutated at the end of last year.
As countries around the world have initiated mass inoculation of their citizens during a surge in the number of infections and deaths, there emerges what Pope Francis called a “light of hope” in his Urbi et Orbi message on Christmas day.
As time goes by, the vaccine will become more widely available and more people will be inoculated. However, it will be a slow undertaking until we achieve “herd immunity” whereby the majority of citizens is immunized thus providing a sure level of safety and protection to the whole population.
Until this final goal is obtained, nevertheless, there are several hurdles to overcome on the way to inoculation. First, there is the vaccine resistance held by a sizeable number of citizens due to misinformation and safety concerns.
The results of a survey carried out last month showed that about half of the population in the Philippines is unwilling to get vaccinated against the coronavirus mainly due to safety fears. This anxiety will put at risk the lives of other people and jeopardize the attainment of the immunity for the majority of citizens.
In order to counter this negative trend, Pope Francis already received the new jab against coronavirus. He is calling on everyone to be vaccinated. In a recent interview with an Italian news program, the pope called the vaccine a life-saving instrument, and therefore, an ethical obligation. The refusal to be inoculated is suicidal. “It is an ethical choice because you are playing with health, but you are also playing with the lives of others,” he said.
Another issue regards the equal distribution of the vaccine to all nations. Whereas rich countries have already started rolling out the anti-COVID-19 shot, other nations are lagging behind like the Philippines. This problem was raised by the head of the World Health Organization who said that low and middle-income countries were not receiving supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, accusing wealthy nations of “vaccine nationalism.”
We hope that in the coming months, COVID-19 vaccines will be made available to people around the world–not just in the wealthiest countries–at roughly the same time.
