Letter of the Day | Discrimination against unvaccinated is arbitrary and unfair

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I saw and an advertisement in The Gleaner of Friday, December 3 on Page B7, by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, ‘You are invited to an open house and exhibition’, and which stated, “Per the Disaster Risk Management Act, only vaccinated persons will be allowed to attend. Proof of vaccination will be required.”

Three months ago I contracted moderate to severe COVID-19 infection and currently have antibody levels that have been characterised by a physician as a robust immune response. This antibody level makes me eligible to donate plasma for the treatment of persons with severe COVID-19, yet, I would be excluded from a company with a vaccine mandate policy or the Ministry of Health & Wellness’ Open House Exhibition, since I am unvaccinated but immune.

What therefore is the justice or scientific basis for such policies that would unfairly rob me of my livelihood or subject me to sanctions, despite the fact that I would be of no greater harm to co-workers or the public than a vaccinated person.

After almost two years of the onset of this dreadful pandemic, and with the current data on the vaccines administered globally (Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson), there is evidence that the vaccines:

1. Do not provide long-term immunity.

2. Currently reduce the risk of severe infection and hospitalisation.

3. Do not prevent infection by or transmission of COVID-19.

4. Lose their efficacy within a six- to eight-month period, with booster doses now being routine and mandated in several jurisdictions.

If any restrictions are to be applied in the workplace or social/public gatherings, it should be on the basis of the result of a current COVID-19 test rather than on one’s vaccination status. Therefore, the current mandates are both illogical and unscientific.

It is to be noted that vaccine mandates in the United States have just been blocked by way of an injunction on all 50 states, and additionally, there are public protests against vaccine mandates worldwide. Jamaica would do well to learn from these experiences.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness and other entities need to align their policies on the right side of science and refrain from arbitrary discrimination and the imposition of vaccine apartheid in Jamaica.

COVID-19 SURVIVOR