'It's never going to be 100 per cent': Bioethicist questions vaccine strategy as COVID-19 pandemic enters another year
While governments are still trying to urge residents to get a COVID-19 vaccine, bioethicist and Dalhousie research professor, Françoise Baylis, says in reality, not everyone will get a shot.
She wonders if there are other strategies to take, as we enter the third year of the pandemic, with more waves and variants likely on the horizon.
“In an ideal world, you’d like that to be 100 per cent. But I think in the real world, it’s never going to be 100 per cent,” she said in an interview with CTV Atlantic. “And so, in that case, it becomes a legitimate question to know when we have maxed out? When have we reached a point where we’re not going to be able to get people to voluntarily come forward?”
In New Brunswick, about 92 per cent have received their first dose, while about 84 per cent have received two doses and 42 per cent now have a booster.
“We contact people and we say, ‘You are due for a booster, can you come in? Can we schedule you?’ And not everyone is getting boosted. So, we have to work on that,” said pharmacist Greg MacFarlane.
MacFarlane has spent a lot of time individually speaking with patients, carefully walking them through their concerns about the vaccine.
Earlier this week, the Department of Health said it is aggressively promoting vaccines, specifically the first dose for children aged five to 11, and the booster shot.
New Brunswick Premier Blane Higgs has said further vaccine mandates are still possible, but some don’t agree that’s the right move.
“When you start introducing mandates and use a form of coercion that this government has used in the past, what happens is you create further division in society,” said People’s Alliance Leader Kris Austin. “You don’t move the dial a whole lot in terms of uptick of vaccination status and really, what you do is you inflame the public.”
Baylis wonders if there’s another strategy, like providing N95 masks to those who are unvaccinated, but also helping people in other countries get access to the vaccine.
“I think the important thing to appreciate here is that, in gifting the vaccine to others, we’re not only helping those who received the vaccine, we’re helping ourselves because we’re bringing us closer to ending the pandemic,” she said.
Baylis believes there’s a moral obligation to help others, but that it’s also a strategy that could work in strengthening the immunity of more people around the world.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Trump hush money trial: Play-by-play on Day 2 of Stormy Daniels testimony
Adult film star Stormy Daniels took the stand for a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump's hush money case continues in Manhattan.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street
B.C. wildfires likely to spread with weekend temperatures expected to soar, province says
Wildfire and emergency management officials in British Columbia are urging residents to be prepared for increased fire activity as temperatures are expected to soar above 30 C in parts of the province this weekend.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.