The Covid-19 pandemic is not coming to an end soon, as expounded by experts in most narratives about the coronavirus.
Researchers have also said that in time, it will become endemic, meaning that it will continue to circulate in pockets of the global population for years to come.
And over time, when herd immunity is achieved, the coronavirus poses less danger, and "find its place among other common cold viruses". But for now, the situation is dire.
Data on Thursday revealed that the global tally has reached 213.9 million cases, while 4.46 million lives have perished, according to Johns Hopkins University. As for Malaysia, more than 24,000 daily cases was registered on Thursday, the highest so far recorded in a single day.
Latest statistics say that some 25 per cent of the 7.9 billion global population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, which is a far cry from the 60 to 70 per cent of the population targeted for herd immunity. Scientists have said that once people start being immunised en masse, herd immunity would permit society to return to normal. It's a painfully slow climb to reach the target, but get there we must.
The focus, therefore, is to get as many people as possible inoculated. On Thursday, a politician labelled a decision by the Sarawak government to allow only vaccinated people to work or enter business premises as discriminatory and going against human rights. He termed it an "apartheid policy" to discriminate unvaccinated people.
But what about the rights of fully vaccinated individuals? Should they not be protected, too? Let's look at the bigger picture — it is not about whether one is pro- or anti-vaccine. It's about achieving herd immunity as an immune barrier against further mass outbreak. Governments do not want even a small segment of their community to be "unvaxxed" as it may later on cause a new threat. It is in the interest of national security to achieve herd immunity.
If Malaysia makes it mandatory to get vaccinated against Covid-19, it will not be the first. Many countries are considering it, some have already implemented it. Reuters recently reported that a sharp upturn in infections due to the Delta variant and a slowdown in vaccinations have pushed governments to make vaccination mandatory for health workers and other high-risk groups.
Australia is one. Vaccinations are mandatory for high-risk aged-care workers and employees in quarantine hotels. Britain is another. Reportedly, English nightclubs and other venues with large crowds will require patrons to present proof of full vaccination from the end of September. Nearer to home, Indonesia made inoculations mandatory in February, threatening fines of up to 5 million rupiah.
The point is — human rights should not be so narrowly defined. Have we not learnt about the urgency to stem this pandemic? Experts say, time and again, that vaccination is the way to go to achieve herd immunity and be free from the coronavirus.
Yet, there are still some who are trying to divide opinion. Let's be proactive about it. This Leader calls for more engagement with those who refuse vaccination. Hold more awareness campaigns on vaccination. Vaccination and saving lives, that's what it's all about.