“I don’t know where to get my second dose,” says Bo Poirier, 31, dropping his backpack on the ground. “It shouldn’t be hard to go and get vaccinated. But for me, it’s difficult, ”sighs the homeless man we met on Wednesday evening in the Côte-des-Neiges district of Montreal.
“I was told that if I did not receive the same vaccine as during my first dose, it would not work. And I lost the paper I was given on my first dose [avec le nom du vaccin] “Explains the man from Vancouver, looking haggard. “I know I don’t have enough protection at the moment,” he adds, distraught.
For Marie, who does not wish to be referred to by her real name for fear of being further stigmatized or associated with the conspiratorial movement, it is the phobia of needles that keeps her away from vaccination centres. “It’s not a fear or an inconvenience. It’s a mental health issue. The 33-year-old lady who lives in the Laurentians says she tried several times to make an appointment to get vaccinated. “But the stress is so strong. I can’t. »
Mary herself contacted The duty this week in an attempt to “humanize” the 10% unvaccinated statistic, in the hope of restoring some dialogue in society.
“To be insulted and disrespected every day by our leaders and journalists who have a platform, I do not accept that. And to be told that I am responsible for the pandemic and the deaths is very difficult. […] We don’t even have the right to speak anymore because we have become second-class citizens, ”she argues.
The lady reminds us that the common enemy is COVID-19. “The case of the unvaccinated takes a disproportionate place in the fight against the virus. »
More legitimate reasons
For Vardit Ravitsky, president of the International Association of Bioethics and professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal and at Harvard Medical School, it is clear that “we cannot treat the whole group of non -vaccinated by choice in the same way”.
The group is not homogeneous, insists the bioethicist, and some people have “more legitimate” reasons than others for not getting vaccinated. “Hard antivax is one serving only. »
In addition to people with mental or physical health conditions that prevent them from getting vaccinated, some groups have “historically based distrust” of government or the health care system, she said, citing visible minorities or the aboriginal population. “And that can be absolutely justified as an attitude. »
“Our failure to build a more equitable society dates back a long time,” continues Vardit Ravitsky. In this context, if a person who belongs to a marginalized community has less confidence in a system that did not know how to support their community before the pandemic, it is more understandable than someone who believes anything seen on the social networks. »
Huguette, 63, says she doesn’t buy conspiracy theories, but stands by her decision not to get vaccinated despite government and popular pressure. “For me, the fear is linked to the vaccine,” she explains. “I don’t want to be a guinea pig and I don’t see the need to receive a vaccine at all costs. »
The lady, who lives alone in a small town in Montérégie, ensures that she respects sanitary measures. “It’s a very personal choice.[ne pas me faire vacciner] what I did to protect my health. »
Huguette laments in broad strokes the growing animosity, “fed by the government”, towards the unvaccinated. “They want us to become responsible for what happens in hospitals, but we know very well that every year, emergencies are overflowing,” she said, pointing to the deficient management of the health system.
Despite her non-vaccinated status, the lady says she continues to donate blood. “I find it really illogical that on the one hand I am allowed to donate blood to save lives, and on the other hand I become a threat and have to pay a fine [la contribution santé] like I was a criminal. »
Specialist in the implementation of public policies, professor of sociology at the University of Montreal Deena White indicates that it is “normal” for resistance to appear in society during the application of public health measures.
“The reaction to government policies related to COVID is not very different from the reaction to other public health policies”, she underlines, recalling in particular the opposition, a few years ago, to measures related to smoking or wearing seat belts in the car.
She points out that public health policies interfere in our lives to influence our behaviors in a more pronounced way than other types of policies. “When there is resistance, it’s a resistance that sometimes has nothing to do with a conspiracy, but rather with a normal resistance against a government that seeks to affect everyday behavior,” she says, regretting that this is not currently recognized more.
For Sarah (not her real name), 33, this resistance stems from a fear of the possible side effects of the vaccine. The 30-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous because of “hate towards the unvaccinated”, says she suffers from physical and mental health problems and does not benefit from adequate medical follow-up. “I don’t want to risk being worse right now, because I already have a hard time getting treatment. »
Government and popular pressure has only one effect on her, she says: “The more they want to force me to get vaccinated, the less I will do it. »