Dear Editor:
Let’s be clear, close to 100% of all doctors, health care professionals and immunology scientists believe the only way to get beyond this COVID-19 pandemic is for every man, woman, child and senior to be vaccinated.
Here in Ontario the numbers have taken a turn in the wrong direction. Ontario has almost reached 10,000 deaths, over 600,000 cases and a current positivity rate just creeping above 3%. At the same time we see that people who have now become infected, in the majority of cases, have either not been vaccinated or their vaccination status remains unclear.
Our doctors and the majority of healthcare workers are completely dismayed by Premier Doug Ford, his health minister and medical advisors for “supposedly” telling Ford that he need not mandate vaccinations or testing for all health care workers as it might have a negative impact on up to 10,000 workers that might resign.
I guess that means it is okay for those unvaccinated workers to potentially cause many unneeded deaths among mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, our children and other family, friends and neighbours as part of the cost of keeping these health care workers on the job.
I just wonder how many workers will quit their jobs because of Ford’s complete failure to mandate vaccinations. What if the already-fully-vaccinated health care workers were to simply say, “we are going on strike right now and will stay off the job until the premier finally decides enough is enough and mandates all health care workers, education workers and other critical employees in the province be vaccinated” or to be suspended without pay until they do so?
Of course we know these workers won’t abandon their position because they are committed to helping the general population in any way they can, even at their own peril.
Looking at the anti-vaxxers, they believe that Ford and his cronies plan to relax all restrictions on masks, vaccination certificates, business restrictions, etc. in the near future and are currently thumbing their nose at all of us who have been vaccinated in an attempt to beat this pandemic.
Now if Ford does this how will you feel about going to a theatre, skating rink, community event or playing hockey, football, tennis, volleyball, squash, pickleball or rugby knowing that the player beside you might not be vaccinated. Would you consider just leaving the event to protect yourself?
What a shameful set of circumstances we find ourselves in, thinking that all people were loyal and supportive of each other.
Have too many of us been completely brainwashed by what is going on south of the border?
Pete Anderson,
Fergus