A friend from church messaged me, “May I ask you an honest question?? I love that we can talk openly about such a Hot Topic. In your opinion, and/or the opinion of others around you that you talk with, why is it you feel so many aren’t getting the covid shot? I hate the divide and I’m trying to understand it.”

I thought these are two important questions to reason through, and because there is no single short answer to either of them, I decided to write this blog about it.

As I have already shared with my friend, I am a pragmatist by nature. I tend to look at life logically rather than emotionally. My friend, on the other hand, is a far more emotional individual – at least when it comes to expressing her personal heartache over the division between individuals that the COVID epidemic has caused.

There are times I wish I was more like my friend.

I will address my friend’s [implied] second question first.

We should be careful not to label simple disagreement as a division. I hope I have the freedom to disagree with any of my friends and not impair our friendship. Division occurs when differences become irreconcilable and the two parties are separated [divided] as a consequence.

There are numerous reasons individuals disagree. The cause, remedy, and response to COVID is no exception. Is there something that makes the COVID discussion different?

Obviously, your personal preference of wintertime over the summertime, or vice versa, does not directly impact me. Conversely, your opinions surrounding COVID, in as much as your opinions will likely translate into actions, I and others may be directly impacted.

The following is a list of three triggers, or ‘hot buttons’ (I anticipate that others can add to this list). The three primary triggers, as I see it, are fear, pride, and ignorance. It does not matter which side of the line you may stand, all three can apply equally and can contribute to divisions amongst us.

FEAR: This is probably the primary and most understandable trigger. You may be fearful of getting a COVID infection, you may be fearful of being hospitalized or dying from COVID, being in close proximity to an unvaccinated individual, of passing the infection onto others, you may be fearful of an adverse reaction to the vaccine(s), you may be fearful of how others might respond to your individual stance, etc. I do not believe anyone has the right to say you can’t be fearful. Fear is a self-preservation instinct. I might try and reason with you to allay your fears but, obviously, this would be an expression of care and concern – not condemnation. Dangerously, though, fear, expressed out of ignorance, leads to what we have come to know as conspiracy theories.

PRIDE: The ‘deadliest of all sins’. There is good pride and bad pride. The bad pride that leads to discord is, “a feeling that you are more important or better than other people”. Arrogance is a great synonym. “I am right and you are wrong, and it doesn’t matter what you say, regardless of contrary evidence, you will never convince me otherwise.” In other words, “I’m going to win this argument whatever the cost.”

IGNORANCE: Simply a lack of knowledge of the facts, or a mistaken understanding of the facts. It seems that, on the topic of COVID, mistaken understanding of the facts has become the division instigator, and pride fuels the fire.

I have observed that both sides of the COVID argument resort to the use of logical fallacies. An excellent example of a logical fallacy is the fallacy fallacy. One presumes that because a claim has been poorly argued, or a fallacy has been introduced, that the claim itself must be wrong. It is entirely possible to make a claim that is false and yet argue with logical coherency for that claim, just as it is possible to make a claim that is true and justify it with various fallacies and poor arguments. There are dozens and dozens of logical fallacies (news organizations, both liberal and conservative, are notorious for exploiting them). Logical fallacies are dangerous because we can be so easily deceived by them.

Adding to the complexity of the conversation are all the ‘impact points’… topics within the topic. To name just a few: politics, personal freedoms, vaccine effectiveness, vaccine approvals, infection rates, vaccine passports, lockdowns, vaccine mandates, source of vaccine materials, etc. Then, of course, one can throw in religion, the Constitution, the Charter… the list is seemingly endless.

Now, to answer my friend’s first question, “Why is it you feel so many aren’t getting the covid shot?”, I need to tread very carefully. I have no desire to offend. Perhaps it is easier to reword the question, “Why is it you feel so many have chosen to get vaccinated?” Surely, both questions are equally valid? The current ratio in Ontario, Canada is 86% vaccinated to 14% unvaccinated.

There are two main reasons for medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines: a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine ingredient and a risk of inflammation to the heart caused by the shot. These exemptions should be in the range of 1% to 5% of eligible vaccine candidates, so that still leaves 10% of the population (of Ontario) choosing not to be vaccinated for non-medical reasons. Why?

I’ll make it personal. Why did I get vaccinated?

I, like most people, was fearful of the COVID virus, observing how quickly it spread and the high level of fatalities (especially amongst the elderly) and watching the countless videos of the infected in ICUs and on ventilators. I just turned 70, so not yet ‘elderly’ but heading in that general direction. I was thankful that medical scientists and virologists around the world were able to produce a number of vaccines so quickly. After I received my first shot I was surprised at the level of relief I felt. I had my second shot as soon as I was allowed, and will be having my booster shot in the next few days.

Am I confused about the effectiveness of the vaccine(s)? No. Am I able to comprehend their expectations and limitations? Yes. I can look at the world around me and compare vaccination rates, infection rates, hospitalizations, and deaths as easily as anyone else. Do I trust the numbers governments in countries, states, and provinces around the world provide? Mostly, yes. I have no reason not to. Obviously, there are exceptions.

As an example, I can compare Mexico City (not the entire country) and Austria. Mexico City [a densely populated city of 22-million] with a population 2.45 times larger than that of Austria, has an adult immunization rate of 95% with a 7-day average of 390 infections (7 deaths per day). This week, Austria, with a vaccination rate of 64.8% had a 7-day average of 12,716 infections (42 deaths per day and climbing rapidly). Austria presently has an infection rate 80 times greater than Mexico City! This is but a single example (chosen because they were both in the news headlines this week). I would challenge anyone to rationally argue that vaccination rates and infection rates do not directly correlate to one another. Since early on in the vaccination program the medical scientists have been driving home the point that populations need to reach a 95% immunization rate to bring this epidemic under control. Who is happier now, Mexico City or Austria?

Hitting close to home… I have a friend in Scarborough, about my age. He and his wife contracted COVID days before they were eligible for their first vaccine shot. His wife died in hospital a few weeks later. We have a friend, a nursing specialist who worked on an isolation wing where bone marrow transplants are done. She contracted COVID from a parent visiting one of the children under her charge. For more than a week she had to sleep sitting up in a chair so that she could breathe. She was off work for six months recovering. We have a family friend in the US who contracted COVID, a young mother with four children. A few months later she collapsed and died from residual pneumonia from her COVID infection. Thankfully, she was brought back to life, placed on a heart-lung machine for many days, with hundreds of people around the world praying for her. Her kidneys took almost six months to resume normal function. Today she is again fit and well. A miracle.

I am but one person with such experiences to share. I am not an exception. As far as I am aware, every single person who ends up in a hospital ICU, or becomes chronically sick from COVID, has a change of mind and heart and becomes a vaccine advocate.

“Why is it you feel so many aren’t getting the covid shot?” I don’t know. I cannot logically comprehend it.

Truth, logic, understanding context, and pragmatism are all very important to me.

And so is emotion, especially that which comes from friendship.

Your friend, David

COVID-19 curves: Compare Canada and other key nations

The following link is to a CTV editorial first published April 3, 2020 (19 months ago) and updated today (November 20, 2021). I have included it because it is a good reminder of what we, and the rest of the world, have been going through. It also provides a range of interactive features that allow us to compare Canada’s (and our provinces’) performance to the rest of the world.