Why did you get vaccinated?
Andrew Jardine
Accountant, The Falls at Westmall
When I first heard about the COVID-19 virus, I hoped the initial public health measures the World Health Organization recommended and governments implemented globally, would slow the spread of the virus and eventually disappear. However, as time went on, it became apparent that while the measures did reduce the impact of the disease, the virus was still being transmitted and very much a threat to us. With no cure in sight, the next best thing would be a vaccine.
Then came the day the availability of the vaccines was announced. Like many others, I did my research, comparing the efficacies of all. Before the vaccines reached T&T, I had already made up my mind which one I wanted. Admittedly, I was hesitant at first with the vaccines that were available to us, however I discussed it with friends of mine that are health care professionals, I looked at the data and a video another trusted friend sent to me. I realised it did not matter which vaccine I took, the most important thing is that all vaccines were effective against severe symptoms of COVID-19, hospitalization and death. That level of protection was necessary, and I made up my mind that I will take the vaccine. As they say “the best vaccine is the one that is available to you.”
Last Wednesday, I had my second shot at the Sangre Grande Health Centre and in two weeks I can consider myself fully vaccinated. I am fortunate that most of my family members already received their second shot. I am doing this for them. I don’t want to get sick, and in turn make my family sick. This is the best way I can think of to protect them.
We cannot stay at home forever, and as life has slowed down, livelihoods are severely affected. Let us all get vaccinated so that we can go back to normal and keep each other safe.
Sheldon Wood
Country Manager, Philip Morris International
The coronavirus pandemic has affected every country around the world either directly or indirectly, making it one of the most far-reaching crises in generations. The reverberations of this global cataclysm will echo for years to come. The Government, aided by the counsel of our highly qualified medical experts, has implemented measures to suppress the spread of the coronavirus with the herculean task of saving lives and livelihoods. But what about the role we as a people must play in the fight against the virus? On a more personal level, what can I do?
As a businessman that is charged with making decisions that impact the future of the organisation and the people who work tirelessly to ensure its success, I am a firm believer in data analytics. When I look at the countries that are now able to consider “opening up” or reducing restrictions because of a significant decline in COVID-19 deaths and infections, there is a direct correlation between this decline and the increased number of persons vaccinated.
As if I needed further convincing, I know persons whose loved ones have succumbed to COVID-19. Fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters who are all inconsolable. The death toll figures were no longer meaningless. The fact that I could put faces and names to them still seems surreal. Then comes the risk to those that I hold dear to me, my family members that are elderly and/or have co-morbidities. I cannot imagine anyone whose loved ones are outside of either of these two categories.
I encourage everyone who has been given the medical green light to take the COVID-19 vaccine to make this a priority. This individual action is your critical role in saving lives and livelihoods. The personal decision to be vaccinated was clear. It was never a matter of if, but how soon.
Cashyap Sharma
Circulation Manager,
Guardian Media Limited
I think anything that can bring us one step closer to returning to normalcy, I am for it.
As Trinidadians, we love to interact with each other, a little lime here, a family gathering for a birthday, however, we have lost so many occasions to create those special moments, like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. While we have pivoted and created new ways to celebrate, at our core we are social beings and those social connections are severely missed. Let’s not miss another one!
Our education system is being challenged and the way we learn and interact. Schools seem like something children used to visit so long ago. Imagine we have had children who transitioned from primary to secondary school and never stepped into their new school, and by September they will start Form 2 curriculum. Does my getting this vaccine help this happen? Yes, I think it does!
As a diabetic, my risk of life-threatening complications if I contract COVID-19 is high and that is more concerning than taking the vaccine, or what brand of vaccine I was being given. And, I am happy to say, I have had no side effects on getting the vaccine.
I want to thank the many dedicated health care professionals, with a debt of gratitude to Dr Safeeya Mohammed and the teams volunteering heroically to ensure everyone gets vaccinated. I received my vaccine at the mass vaccination initiative, hosted by Supermarket’s Association and Diabetic Association of TT at the Centre Pointe Mall and the experience was so quick and professional. Everyone was so helpful and the space was accommodating of the hundreds of persons flowing through that site.
In my mind, I just knew I had to get one if there was any hope of bringing families and friends back together. And if in doubt, consult your doctor. With all the restrictions, we can see each other and still conduct meetings via digital platforms, but how great it would be for me to hug my grandchildren again or to shake the hand of a colleague? I know we still have a long way to go, but having received the first dose, I am more convinced that my colleagues and I are closer to our return to normalcy.