Antigua private sector urges respect for human rights in vaccination programme

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The executive director of the Antigua and Barbuda Chamber of Commerce, Martin Cave, says the human rights of nationals should be respected as the island moves towards vaccinating people in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID019) pandemic here.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister of Antigua, Gaston Browne told radio listeners of the possibility of implementing a mandatory vaccination program as he criticized persons who were encouraging others not to participate in the national vaccination program.

“This is not a threat,” Browne said, adding that the pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the socio-economic development of the island since the first case was diagnosed here last March.

The government has also said it had reached a collaboration with a private company to provide EC$50 to persons who receive their first jab.

Cove said that while business is supportive of the efforts by the government to get people vaccinated the goal of attaining herd immunity must be reached without infringing on the rights of the population.

“There this dichotomy, this conflict, because obviously the Chamber of Commerce,  like any responsible business collective, would wish to have the economy bounce back as quickly and as robustly as possible.

“And by robust we want to have just not a quick comeback for business or business opportunities, but we want to do so in a resilient way. So, obviously, the quicker the population can be [free] of the risks from COVID–19, the better for us.

“But the Chamber, households and the country are made up of individuals, and there is where the conundrum lies. Because, while we want that, we’re also mindful and respectful of the right of the individual,” Cove told radio listeners.

He said that the business community “would support whatever is good for the entire country that does not infringe on the individual’s rights”.

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12 COMMENTS

  1. What is this individual rights individual rights individual rights me foot that this man is talking about. Doesn’t everyone have a choice in this issue?

    • Everyone has a choice whether to take the vaccine or not. Does an employer have the right to require that as a condition of employment, employees are vaccinated in order to protect other employees and the public?
      There may be a time in the near future where we can decide not to be vaccinated and stay home and starve.

  2. That’s what individual rights means… every individual has a choice that is respected. In other words, they are not willing to force something on someone that they don’t want.

    • You are part of a nation. This means you have agreed to give up certain rights for us all to endeavor (see the constitution). Take some time and go though our national anthem. Its about the collective. Individual rights are supreme unless they infringe on other people rights (you do not have the right to aid in speeding covid). This is why the constitution allows government to take actions which can infringe on individual rights in order to protect society. Those who have an issue with this then need to find a place where there is no government and head there

      • You know that vaccinated person can still spread the virus so please stop blaming un-vaccinated persons. I SAY AGAIN THE VACCINATED DOES NOT PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID 19.

        • O, yes it doe proved the spread of Covid. You must be reading some of that Trump-ite right wing trash posted in the USA. Come on, get real, and get vaccinated. Save your own life, and grandma’s too. Sheesh!~

        • Why is it that you people who choose not to take the vaccine keep on lamenting that it does not prevent you from catching covid. Haven’t the authorities been saying that ever since? Ie haven’t they been transparent in letting people know that fact and still continue to do so. So why belabour that point. At the end of the day who has taken the vaccine is better protected than he who has not and this is what matters. Now man up and go get your jab. My second is in a few weeks.

          • You are the one that keep lamenting that only unvaccinated persons can spread covid which is totally false. By the way are you prepared to take two jabs every year for the rest of your life…bet they didn’t tell you that

        • Agent, perhaps because you have been under cover (have to be bed sheet) so long, you are unaware of the recent studies which show that the vaccine does reduce infections. Let me point you to 1

          “Vaccination reduced the overall attack rate to 4.6% (95% CrI: 4.3% – 5.0%) from 9.0% (95% CrI: 8.4% – 9.4%) without vaccination, over 300 days. The highest relative reduction (54–62%) was observed among individuals aged 65 and older. Vaccination markedly reduced adverse outcomes, with non-ICU hospitalizations, ICU hospitalizations, and deaths decreasing by 63.5% (95% CrI: 60.3% – 66.7%), 65.6% (95% CrI: 62.2% – 68.6%), and 69.3% (95% CrI: 65.5% – 73.1%), respectively, across the same period.”
          see The impact of vaccination on COVID-19 outbreaks in the United States
          View ORCID ProfileSeyed M. Moghadas, Thomas N. Vilches, View ORCID ProfileKevin Zhang, View ORCID ProfileChad R. Wells, Affan Shoukat, Burton H. Singer, View ORCID ProfileLauren Ancel Meyers, Kathleen M. Neuzil, Joanne M. Langley, View ORCID ProfileMeagan C. Fitzpatrick, Alison P. Galvani
          doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.27.20240051

  3. He who believes everything without questioning is like smoke driving by strong wind and vanish.
    Everybody is reading the same manual herd/sheep/cow immunity how is it achieved if the virus can still be spread if one is vaccinated?why do people want to force their decisions on people because they are fearful and gullible?
    If you want to be part of an experiment thats your choice, dont try try to force some one who is not interested, we all are aware what can happen if one has underlying illness and get the virus, No man will escape death with the vaccine, the Almighty build our immune system in such away to fight but we have have proper nutrition. Scientists claim they can out perform the works of God and fearful people accept and put their trust in man which could be detrimental.

    “A man states this world is overpopulated he has become a scientist, doctor and philanthropist without qualifications only finance and you trust him”

    Our leaders shows no compassion for the poor and needy in this pandemic they only continue to feed the greedy but all of a sudden they have a change of heart filled with the love of Judas looking to give out incentives for those who get the jab, where was the love all the time, it is false.

    You want to get immunity build your immune system. Why are some people asymptomatic? They have a stronger immune system.
    They are not preaching build your immune system only take the experiment but if one dies they will say it is not the result of the vaccine but they had underlying conditions. Pure hypocrisy

  4. Who can get Covid: vaccinated and not vaccinated ppl
    Who spread Covid: vaccinated and not vaccinated ppl
    Who gets sick from Covid: Vaccinated and not vaccinated ppl

    The vaccine is not FDA approved
    Why are vaccinated ppl scared of Covid ?
    Why is there pressure on taking a vaccine that boosts you immune system when eating right and exercise does the same?

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