I WAS going to write a happy Christmas column this week, but you can’t have a happy Christmas without a safe Christmas. So the angle is going to be a little bit different, though perhaps not surprising.
It has been another rollercoaster of a year. The last thing we wanted this December was more drama. But as I write this, I’ve just learnt about the significant jump in COVID-19 cases in NSW and the question that comes to mind is: “When is this ever going to end?”
The answer: it will end when the virus stops circulating. And it will stop circulating when we are all vaccinated. As long as people are unvaccinated, they will continue to keep the virus alive and circulating – kind of like a washing machine – and the longer it circulates, the more chance it has to mutate.
Ongoing circulation led to Alpha, Delta and now Omicron. The only way to stop the mutations – which jeopardise the efficacy of our vaccines – is to stop the circulation.
In a perfect world, voluntary vaccination would sufficiently pull up the transmission. But too many people have chosen to opt out, which has put our collective health at risk.
And that’s why many governments around the world – including Victoria – imposed strong vaccine mandates, not just to protect people individually, but to achieve the critical mass of protection needed to stop the circulation and, ultimately, the pandemic.
I supported those mandates when they were imposed and I still do. If a person has medical reasons why it is not safe for them to be vaccinated, they are entitled to an exemption. But everyone else has a moral obligation to talk to their GP and get vaccinated.
The finish line seems to be constantly shifting, and we all want a Christmas miracle to make it stop.
The miracle is medical science and the gift is vaccination. It will keep everyone and their loved ones safe and deliver a happy Christmas.
