Covid vaccines protect against serious illness and It is up to us, the public, to take responsibility for our own well-being

Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, government strategy has been aimed at protecting health and hospital services from being overwhelmed until such time as the surviving population has acquired immunity, either naturally or by vaccination.

Strategy might better have been aimed at keeping the virus out of the country and thus saving lives.

However, vaccines are now freely available in this and other wealthy countries.

No one need wait to gain natural immunity by infection at the risk of dying in the process.

While anyone, vaccinated or not, can become infected, and can transmit the virus, vaccination gives a level of protection against serious illness and need for intensive care in hospital.

There is little more that government and medical advisers can now do.

It is up to us, the public, to take responsibility for our own well-being.

The restrictive measures that are adversely affecting the economy cannot be retained for much longer.

Those measures are now protecting only the un-vaccinated members of the population who are thus fortunate enough, for the time being, not to be among the un-vaccinated majority of Covid patients in hospitals and intensive care to the detriment of non-Covid patients in critical need of treatment and intensive care.

If proof of vaccination (vaccine passport) is required for access to any venue or service it should be required of Covid sufferers for access to hospital and intensive care facilities and treatment.

Dennis Golden, Strabane

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