Dear Editor,

Lots of things upset me when I read the paper but the article about how projections show that we will not reach herd immunity by September has to top the list. Those projections were based partly on the hope that those that have had COVID are immune which isn’t a certainty at the moment.

Time to get draconian with those who refuse the vaccine when offered for either religious or conspiracy-driven delusions. None of the anti-vax arguments hold water but refusing vaccination has dire consequences for all of us. I trust in fact-based evidence provided by science, not the endless stream of misinformation coming from social media.

We must have herd immunity if we are ever to emerge from this pandemic. I call on the government(s) and employers alike to ensure that everyone who can safely be vaccinated is in fact vaccinated.

Make it simple, no vaccination, no work except at home in either the private or public sector. If that can’t be an option, then welcome to unemployment. Bring in significant fines for people who continue to refuse vaccinations. When vaccines for younger people are approved, make sure that in public and private schools that it be made clear that all students are vaccinated just like in the days when Polio and Smallpox were wiped out with mandatory vaccination.

Individualism is important, but in times like this, the duty of citizens to promote the common good by being vaccinated should come first. COVID fatigue is real and getting worse as the pandemic drags on, and too many people are flouting the rules.

The science is showing that we need to have a second vaccination within a shorter period of waiting than is currently being followed to be as fully immune as possible. That we are having to wait for much longer than is optimal is a hope that as many people can have one vaccination as possible.

But it is pointless if too many people refuse to do the right thing and get vaccinated. Unless a person can prove that getting vaccinated can’t be done for valid health reasons, then it must follow that the government must enforce compliance. As draconian as that sounds, it is the only logical route to take to achieve herd immunity and get us back to a more normal life.

Robert T. Rock, Mission

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• READ MORE: B.C.’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout not enough to bring back normal life by fall: report

• READ MORE: Most Canadians plan to get COVID-19 vaccine but safety fears drive hesitancy: poll

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