I noticed recently a sticker on a local bus stop, which was commenting on COVID testing and the need for vaccinations. It was defaced so difficult to read, but there were a couple of interesting ideas.
Firstly, the authors questioned the existence of COVID because it was not visible – especially the asymptomatic kind which the government is particularly keen to test for. However, most diseases are not visible in the early stages when most can be done – cancer is a good example, and its invisibility is part of its deadly nature. Huge diagnostic machines – CT scanners, MRIs, X-rays -have been created to make the invisible, visible. And some of these machines have been used to diagnose COVID. Most mental illnesses are invisible and therefore not considered as important or as legitimate as physical illnesses although they can be as deadly.
Secondly, the writers likened the pressure to vaccinate to blackmail. I wondered if most medical treatment carries an element of blackmail; ‘take this drug, let us operate, have this test or you will get sicker, not recover/die.’ Sort of ‘behave or else’. I experienced this recently where I was going through the process of consent to have a biopsy on a brain tumour. I hesitated as the operation sounded dangerous and a more senior doctor was drafted in to persuade me. He frowned and said I only had a few more weeks – I signed the forms and thankfully I am still here.
But vaccination is different because although it affects you it also contributes to the well-being of the community and the safety of others. By refusing the vaccination, are you refusing your community as well? Not just strangers you might meet at the bus stop or on the bus, but your friends, relatives and work colleagues. This might explain the anger expressed in biro on the sticker, rejecting its message.
Walking whilst ill 