Dear Editor,

AS I travel coast-to-coast, interacting with people for a survey, I uncover mixed feelings about taking the vaccine and the public’s view on the State mandating it for government services. I need government services; I am fully vaccinated, so I have been able to gain entrance to all government offices to avail myself of varied services. Those not vaccinated have been stranded outside of government offices. I support vaccination, and urge the public to take the vaccine. However, as my interaction with the public, and as respondents in a survey I am conducting have revealed, people are hesitant to take the vaccine. People are also misinformed and confused about vaccines, including its potential effects, and which one to take or reject. Preliminary findings of a survey I have been conducting over the last two weeks indicate that the greater number or majority of the population is in favour of taking the vaccine, and believe that everyone should take it.

Those who are vaccinated also support government policy of mandating vaccination for accessing State services or employment. Most, but not all, supporters of the PPP endorse government policy on the vaccine and in taking it.  But a large number of the public is also opposed to vaccination, and most are supporters of the official opposition PNC (APNU); AFC supporters are in favour of taking the vaccine. More than half of the supporters of the Coalition opposition are in favour of taking the vaccine. Most of the opposition politicians have taken the vaccine; many of their supporters say they were told by political leaders not to take the vaccine, and to resist government efforts to mandate it. There is no sensible, scientific reason for the opposition to discourage their supporters from taking it.

It is not known how many people have been administered with at least one dose of the vaccine, and the infection rate among the varied ethnic groups. But survey data suggests over 50 per cent are vaccinated, more Indians and Mixed than Africans. The poll was not able to query too many people in hinterland or outlying regions. It also appears that the infection and death rate is lower among Indians and Mixed than among Africans; not surprising since more Indians and Mixed appear to have been vaccinated than the other groups. More data is needed to draw exact conclusions on vaccination, infection, and deaths among the various groups. In the US, Blacks and Hispanics have the highest un-vaccinated rate. They also have the highest infection and death rates.
In Guyana, people have resisted taking the vaccine for various reasons: Religious, political, health, mistaken belief of its impact on sex (virility) or births, freedom to defy government, democratic rights, etc.

As a political scientist, I subscribe to the view that people have fundamental democratic rights, but these are not absolute when the national safety of the citizens is at stake. Government has the power to, and can curtail rights. As someone who studied and taught US Constitutional Law, the court or Congress or Parliament (with a Bill) can limit these rights when national security is invoked, as US Supreme consistently ruled over the last 245 years. The State has the power to mandate certain actions in order to secure the lives of citizens. Fundamental rights are suspended during war and pandemics. All civil rights are restricted in an emergency medical situation. Thus, because of the deadly Delta and Lambada variants, the State can claim emergency authority to mandate vaccination to protect the public. The public and staff need a safe working environment. Employers have a statutory duty to provide a safe working environment.  Requiring vaccine for service and for employees is a greater good for the public; it can be mandated as reasonable, since this pandemic threatens our safety. But it is better to convince people to take the vaccine rather than mandate it.  Vaccination should be undertaken through moral suasion rather than coercion.

Lives are at stake; in order to avoid lengthy litigation, government should have doctors and health specialists speak with and convince labour leaders, opposition politicians, and religious leaders about the safety of the vaccine, and how it will not affect peoples’ health or violate their religious beliefs.
False information is being spouted out, especially among Africans; they are being misled by their political leaders who are discouraging them from taking the vaccine, although they themselves took the vaccine. The WHO recommends vaccine; it is not a threat to one’s health.  The vaccine itself does not kill; related health issues kill people. As an illustration, a popular pandit from Bush Lot succumbed to the virus out of misunderstood effects of the virus. He encouraged followers and his family to take it, but he himself did not, and died from COVID. His family members who were vaccinated survived the COVID infection. Had he taken it, he may very well have been around with us. The public must be exposed to the facts of the vaccine. Less than one per cent of those vaccinated have suffered adverse effects. The efficacy of some vaccines (produced in India, US, and Europe) is very high; it’s as high as 95 per cent, except for the Chinese variety, which is substantially lower. Some five per cent of those vaccinated may not be helped by the vaccine, but they will not die from taking it. Chinese vaccines have lower efficacy rates than the others, and many have died from COVID even after being vaccinated with them. But they did not die from the vaccine; the Chinese vaccine is better than no vaccine.

For people who are vaccinated, death may be avoided if they are infected with COVID, if they don’t have other underlying conditions. As US stats have shown, when people are vaccinated, hospitalisation declines; death rates also decline. And vaccination rate is going up in parts of the US; where there is low vaccination, hospitalisation is high as well as deaths. The government must make every effort to convince the opposition to join it in the effort to get the supporters of the latter to take the vaccine. Most, but not all of the opponents of the vaccine in Guyana and the US as well are Christians, and oppose it because of their faith. Their opposition to the COVID vaccine is a contradictory position on being vaccinated. These very same individuals took other vaccines like Rubela, yellow fever, hepatitis, polio (a tongue drop), etc. It is a contradictory position. Or is it a political position just to oppose the government? As a bio-chemist, I can say that the science on vaccination is very clear; I believe in the science. The nation must be guided by the science.

Opposition-affiliated labour unions should re-consider their position, and join the government effort to vaccinate the population. More and more countries are issuing mandates that one can’t travel to certain countries without the vaccine. I should note that the US Government has mandated that no visas to the US will be issued to anyone who is not vaccinated. Those very people opposed to taking the vaccine would do so to get the US visa. Is that not political or religious hypocrisy? I also note that negative COVID results of tests are mandated for travel into the US. Also, businesses are requiring the vaccine or the PCR test. Delta requires all employees to be vaccinated or leave the job. One can’t cry that civil rights are being violated when you threaten other peoples’ rights. These same unvaccinated individuals also don’t wish to mask up or social distance. If you don’t wish to take the vaccine, what is the alternative to stem COVID infection? Mandates and passing bills may not convince people to take vaccines. And even if a bill is passed, how does one overcome religious objection? Incentives should be given to take the vaccine. The public should reconsider resisting taking the vaccine; they are exposing themselves, families, and the public to infection and death by not getting vaccinated. I had both vaccines since February and have not suffered any adverse effects.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Vishnu Bisram