Letter: Why fear a COVID-19 vaccine?

By Letter to the Editor on August 19, 2021.

Dear editor

I don’t quite get it, well maybe I do somewhat. Seventy years ago when I was six we were stricken with polio – the whole family was affected and quarantined for three weeks, my brother was in an iron lung, my sister lame for life, my right arm was paralyzed.

When the vaccine came around we simply took it – yep everyone took it no questions asked, we simply trusted the health authorities were sincere in looking after us, and we trusted the doctors.

I don’t recall any paranoia, suspicion, doubt, or wait and see, negative remarks to induce fear, or enticement to fight for freedom – and the brilliant minds of medical science, frontline workers and real doctors and nurses don’t seem to be getting the respect they deserve from this kinda hype.

In 70 years medical science has come a long way like every thing else, so how much better would the COVID vaccine be? I’m thinking much better than the polio one, and polio is pretty well wiped out.

Like one fella mentioned, “It was the providence of God that we have this vaccine just at the right time.”

I took my two shots of course (almost five months ago now), so far my DNA is still the same, nobody is following me around I don’t have the mark of the beast, no sores on my body and I’m still alive.

And if an approved booster shot comes around by Christmas I’ll try to be first in the lineup. People seem to be afraid of the vaccine for several reasons, but fear simply means F-alse E-vidence A-ppearing R-eal. Yes there’s some real wild stories out there, but like the Bible says Proverb 34, 14-15: Fools believe every word they hear, but wise people think carefully about everything.

I know vaccines are not for everyone, health reasons, religious rules, worried about side effects, that’s our free choice, but if we had 80 to 90% with second dose in Medicine Hat, with what we know now, I think we’d be well on our way.

Russell Scherer

Medicine Hat

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