The unvaccinated

In July of last year, I came across a news feed where Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, a Republican governor, stated it was time to start blaming the unvaccinated for the surge in cases at the time. That was when the deadlier delta variant was spreading throughout the US, especially Republican “red states” like Alabama. The omicron variant had yet to surface. Of course, if you’re one to follow what is going on in the US regarding COVID, you will see Governor Ivey’s call had little effect on the number of vaccinated in her state as well as on the rest of the US. A quick check on ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations has the US at 62.4% fully vaccinated while 12.24% partially vaccinated. There is still very little data on those who have had booster shots. It seems the US has hit a wall in terms of vaccinations. These would be the die-hard anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers who believe in all these wild and ridiculous conspiracy theories about COVID and vaccines. Governor Ivey should come up with another statement now that the Omicron variant is running wild.

Note that Ivey’s blame game was back in July of last year. Back home, only now has the government turned its gaze on the unvaccinated. Policies such as “no vax, no ride” on public transport vehicles as well as President Duterte’s threat to arrest the unvaccinated who refuse to stay at home have divided some public sectors as well as politicians. As expected, the Commission on Human Rights thumbs down any restrictions on the unvaccinated as it infringes on individual rights and is even labeled as anti-poor.

Some presidential aspirants have chimed in. Vice President Robredo suggests positive reinforcement and not fear or threats to get more people vaccinated. Senator Pacquiao opposes restrictions on the unvaccinated while Manila Mayor Isko Moreno would rather see incentives given to the vaccinated. Both Manila and Pasig have signed ordinances restricting the movement of unvaccinated persons. Public transport operators agree to the no vax, no ride policy with the government even placing “mystery passengers” to ensure the policy is enforced. Many restaurants require vax cards before being served. Imagine if this was done in the US. You would have another insurrection, for sure.

Personally, I’m on the fence on this one. Of course, I want more people vaccinated. I am fully vaccinated and have received my booster. My brother explained to me the recent Delta and Omicron variants have mutated from the unvaccinated. With much of the world’s population having yet to receive even one shot of the vaccine, that gives the coronavirus a lot of petri dishes to mutate in. But punishing the unvaccinated may not be the best method to get them convinced. I agree with positive reinforcement and giving incentives to those who have received the jabs. If we know anything about the Filipinos, we love incentives and rewards. As of Dec. 29, 2021, 33.64% of the population has been fully vaccinated while 16.89% have had their first shot. I wish the DOH website would provide percentages and not just the number of doses given. Just the same, that’s still a long way to go. With Omicron now running wild in the country, that should be enough reason to get the shots as soon as possible. Otherwise, this administration is capable of more draconian measures.