For almost two years, our society has been put to the test against the invisible enemy that is COVID-19. Both the health care system and our economy are under pressure.
Without knowledge about the virus, protective equipment and vaccines, we had to manage the pandemic on a day-to-day basis. We threw ourselves on the only tool at our disposal: absolute containment. Schools, daycares, borders and construction sites have been shut down. We had to prevent the virus from spreading like wildfire in our homes.
Today, much more is known about COVID-19 and its variants. We have several vaccines in abundance. Best of all, we have one of the most envied vaccination rates in the world. We also have oral medications that will soon be available to relieve our hospitals. So how is it that we are still at square one?
Are we doomed to live in hibernation? The lull in summer, an upsurge in winter. And the scenario repeats itself. Both companies and individuals have complied with the demands of Public Health. They paid a heavy price. In plexiglass, in masks, in disinfectant and in loss of personnel. The mental health of all suffers in the process.
The uncertainty in which we are immersed can no longer continue. We are promised a new normal that never comes, and the unpredictability is no longer tenable.
Soon, healthcare workers will have to make heartbreaking choices and decide who should be treated first. Let’s face it: our healthcare system does not have strong enough kidneys. We must rethink its foundations, and quickly.
Maybe it’s time to change the paradigm. We ask the government to seriously consider the only option we have left, that of compulsory vaccination. It’s going where no one wanted to go, but the rest is not enough. The debate must be launched.
As recently as last Friday, the Federal Minister of Health came to the same conclusion. This is an “inevitable” step.
Rapid tests and preventive measures will not overcome this pandemic. It is the vaccination of everyone, across the planet, which is the real solution.
Other countries have already done so. Why not us ?