MEDIUM RARE

She’s a young 60-year-old who graduated summa cum laude with a baccalaureate degree many years ago. Her present job in a nonprofit mandates the foundation to work with farmers, senior citizens, and civic groups invested in promoting agriculture as well as small businesses. If she’s so smart why has she kept away from being vaccinated against COVID-19?

The following conversation with Miss D may partly explain why IATF hasn’t been able to convince more people to get jabbed and be protected from the vile virus.

It’s been nearly two years! What are you waiting for?

“I’m waiting to join the clinical trials for Fr. Nick Austriaco’s oral vaccine (pills). They should be safer than the vaccines that are injected into one’s arm and then stay in the body for months! The trials are supposed to start next year.”

You’re willing to be a guinea pig?

“Same with the vaccines produced by the big pharmaceuticals, they had to be clinically tested first, remember? Problem is, you may expect their efficacy to wane after six to eight months. What’s the point? Six months after the second dose you’re back to square one. When will it end, how many more doses to consider oneself as ’98 percent protected’?”

You’re not vaccinated. Does that mean you haven’t gone out to work except WFH nor done any actual shopping for groceries and vitamins? You enjoy being cooped up at home?

“If that’s an invitation for me to join you for a drive, I’d like that very much. I’m told that in a gathering of 25 people it’s okay that there’s one unvaccinated person.”

There won’t be 25 passengers in my car, that’s for sure!

Many people fear the side-effects of vaccines. While “cool” urbanites believe in a conspiracy involving the lucrative pharma industry and global players, the conservative-minded cite their tribal and/or religious beliefs. Then there are those who trust their neighbors and textmates who become more trustworthy the more bizarre their stories become.

In the real world, the vaccine “rollout” with its dark twin aka hesitancy isn’t so much a psychological as a geographical problem: crossing islands, climbing mountains to reach the vaccinees. With millions of doses now, there aren’t enough vaccinators and, pray tell, where are the syringes?