So I finally managed to get my 2nd vaccination earlier this week. The emotions I feel as a result are honestly relief and contentment. I feel relieved that I have done my bit to protect myself, to protect my loved ones and to protect my community. I feel a true sense of pride of being able to complete this task. To be honest I was actually quite overcome with emotions as I stood in line in anticipation of that 2nd jab. As I waited there in that state vaccination hub I felt in awe of the medical professionals that were on that front line, of those university students who put their hands up to assist in the vaccination process. I felt proud of every single person around me who had heard the call and come and done their duty. As I stood there just about to receive my vaccination I felt tears well up in my eyes. I remember at the time not really understanding why but leaning into that emotion nonetheless. As I reflect back on it now there were so many triggers for those tears and emotions behind that intent. In some way they were a release of overwhelming frustration, of sadness, of hopelessness due to a virus that has put us as Melburnians through so much. It has taken so much from us, monetarily, emotionally and physically as well. It has brought us all to the brink and we will suffer from the trauma for a long time to come.
But there were other emotions and thoughts that swirled within me that had also brought on those tears. In that moment I realised just how lucky I was to even have access to a life saving vaccine. I thought back to all of the places I have travelled during my work as a development practitioner, to people who now are struggling with a virus that is overwhelming their already depleted health systems and who do not have access to the vaccines that could save their lives. I think about all of my colleagues and those I met along the way during my travels in India. I think about the almost 500,000 people who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in that country alone. I think about my own homeland of Sri Lanka in which on average 150 people a day are dying due to COVID-19; many of them unnecessarily because the hospital system is on the brink of collapse due to the strain the virus has put on it.
All of these things and the overpowering emotion on the day have made me realise just how privileged I am and it made me wonder how people could refuse such a powerful antidote to a virus that has taken so much from us. It is the key to ending all of this suffering, of getting out of this horrific quagmire that we find ourselves in. It is the key to protecting ourselves. All of this is illustrative that we as a society have a collective duty to ensure that we protect ourselves and our families, and that we protect the most vulnerable people within our communities; people with disabilities, people who are immunocompromised, children, the elderly and so many more. We live in an individualistic world which focuses on the accumulation of wealth and self interest in order to prosper. Living in so a called ‘developed’ country, we rarely are called on to think about the collective. It’s not something that factors into our decision making or thinking in general that much outside of our immediate families. But this pandemic has forced us to think beyond our nucleus.
I know that some of you out there might be fearful. Like me you might be at an age where childbearing is something in your near future. You might be worried about what the possible effects would be in terms of family planning or fertility. I mean, I’m at that age too, I get it. But I also trust in scientists, I trust in virologists, in immunologists, in epidemiologists and all the others who have partaken in the research and development of these vaccines. I trust in the tens of thousands of people who took part during the trial stages of development of these vaccines. I trust in the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and I understand my duty as a member of my community to step forward and do the right thing. This goes beyond me. I do this for my loved ones, for those who are vulnerable and I do this with a sense of pride. I urge you to do the same.
I blog for Change. 