A vaccine is a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of a disease, its products, or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease. The COVID-19 vaccine is intended to provide immunity against COVID-19. This vaccine presents the body with instructions to build immunity and does not alter human cells. Currently in South Africa we have two different types of the COVID-19 vaccine; namely the Pfizer vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Both these vaccines have been proven to be working effectively so far.
The primary goal of vaccinating against COVID-19 is to approximate herd immunity. This is done so that the virus stops spreading in the community at large, infecting and potentially killing others. The secondary purpose of getting the jab is to save one's life and health. Vanessa da Silva Feria, a senior associate at Ulrich Roux Attorneys, says the vaccine is not mandatory, and forcing anybody to get the jab is unconstitutional but this may depend on individual circumstances. But, despite all this, employers that want their employees to get the jab in order to keep their jobs are not totally wrong. Well, morally and constitutionally speaking, they are wrong but we should not look at this from only one perspective. When dealing with employers one needs to look at it contextually. You first need to look at what the employers business is, what the employees role in that business is, as well as the employees health status. In this case, the employer has an obligation and duty to ensure a safe and healthy workplace for its employees as well as members of the public who are encountering those employees there at the workplace. Therefore, it might be necessary for the employer to have their employees take the jab even if the employee is against it.
The same goes for children in school. It is also necessary that they too get vaccinated even if the parents are against that decision. This is because they are in a public space and they should not risk the health of those around them almost on a daily basis only because they do not want to get vaccinated. Allergies and other reactions relating to vaccination experienced from vaccinating before COVID are understandable reasons to not get vaccinated but, all parties involved in the decision to not take the jab and the consequences thereafter should be taken into consideration. Vaccination would obviously be implemented once the vaccines are declared safe for children. COVID-19 vaccination is to reduce the risk of person-to-person transmission.
Although at some point it may be mandatory to get the jab, it is important that this vaccination is carried out in a such a way that does not discriminate against anyone or infringe upon the rights of any legal citizen and that vaccination does not put one at a health risk.
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