Patience wearing thin: Anger aimed at anti-vaccine movement grows
You don’t need to search far on social media to see the continued ‘Us vs. Them’ mentality when it comes to the choice to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
There’s also a growing impatience among the fully vaccinated, who see vaccine hesitancy as a selfish choice.
Bea Penney is watching the debate over the COVID-19 vaccine closely.
“I feel that maybe the anti-vaccine people don't have the appropriate information that they need," said Penney who is a retired nurse.
Factions of the unvaccinated minority have been very vocal at times about the choice of whether or not to get the jab against COVID-19.
Penney said it is her belief that all Canadians at this time bear a huge responsibility.
"We need to take a care of our health and the health of other people," said Penney.
Nova Scotia Community College instructor Ed McHugh agrees.
"My wife is a nurse, and she retired two years ago,” said McHugh. “Last March when COVID-19 hit she went back to work."
McHugh is proud of the contribution his wife is making. As the pandemic continues with multiple waves, he says he has lost all patience with the ‘anti-vax’ movement.
"When I watch these anti-vaxxers in action, they frustrate the hell out of me,” said McHugh. "I think that they are getting way too much air time for the percentage of people that they are."
McHugh also said he is disappointed with the ongoing toxic dialogue on social media that connected to COVID-19 and the vaccine.
"We don't want to touch freedom of speech. We are going to leave that alone,” said McHugh. “But the internet has provided a spot for these people to meet and communicate."
Digital anthropologist Giles Crouch said based on messaging he is seeing on social media, pro-vaccine people are angry.
"They know that in order to get to herd immunity, we need 85 per cent of the population vaccinated,” said Crouch.
“We are not getting there and some people are tired and frustrated. I am seeing that and they are lashing out against the anti-vaccine people, and they're now becoming angry, as much as the anti-vaxxers are angry."
McHugh hopes the issue will settle down, and more people will eventually get their shots.
"What is good for society has to trump the private views of some citizens," said McHugh.
As the anti-vaccine dialogue continues and the COVID-19 case count increases, Penney has concerns about where it will lead.
"I am very fearful of another shut down," said Penney who says multiple province-wide shut downs have already taken a major toll on all Maritimers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.