A chara, – You have done the State and the Irish people some service by publishing the reasons given by many people for refusing vaccination and by including some expert medical commentary in response (Sylvia Thompson, "Why we're not getting the Covid-19 vaccine: Irish Times readers share their reasons", Health & Family, August 19th).
It is difficult to summarise the contributions of over 250 Irish Times readers, and the reasons given are many and varied, but a number of general observations can be made.
First, many consider themselves to be at less risk due to their age, medical history, lifestyle, and general state of health.
Second, many trust their opinions of the science behind the vaccination programme more than they trust the collective views of the overwhelming majority of specialist epidemiologists, virologists, infectious diseases experts, and those actually treating Covid patients in our hospitals or living with the consequences of severe disease.
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Third, they often express political opposition to what they view as the overweening influence of the political, medical, and pharmaceutical establishments, and the resultant intrusion into their personal choices and freedom.
Some just base their decision on anecdotal evidence of how the disease has or hasn’t affected people in their immediate circle. Others are particularly resentful of what they see as officially endorsed discrimination between those who hold Covid vaccination certs and those who don’t.
It would be easy to dismiss many of these objections on the basis that they represent an attitude of prioritising personal liberty or convenience over societal responsibilities, or an intellectual snobbery that they know better than the so-called experts.
But we must be beware of allowing the discussion to fall into the simplistic left/right divide of the narrative in the US, where much of the opposition to the vaccination programme is associated with far-right libertarian activists who see the vaccination programme as part of a socialist and or an elite-driven plot to subvert their freedoms.
One of the most important assets of our democratic political system is the relatively high level of social cohesion and trust between the governed and those who are charged with the responsibility of governing. We allow that to diminish at our peril. The dialogue between those who refuse the vaccine and our medical and political systems is one that should be encouraged, and you have made an excellent contribution with your article. – Yours, etc,
FRANK SCHNITTGER,
Blessington,
Co Wicklow.