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A Panda Campaign

Reject the Divide

SAY NO TO DIVIDING SOCIETY BASED ON VACCINATION STATUS

Mandatory vaccination
has no place in a free society

COVID-19 RISK

COVID-19 presents a high risk of severe illness and death to a few and a negligible risk to the majority of the population. The median age of death with COVID-19 is similar to that of natural mortality in most countries. 95% of deaths occur in individuals with 1 or more existing health problems. 99.95%< of individuals below 70 survive. Survival is even higher for healthy individuals. Children and young people have almost zero risk of death from COVID.

FOCUSED VACCINE POLICY

Safe and efficacious vaccines should be offered to high-risk individuals (mostly people above 50, with other health problems) when the benefit of the intervention clearly outweighs the risk. This strategy achieves the best outcome for all.

Ten reasons why COVID vaccination
should never be mandatory

1. Non-Maleficence

The Hippocratic duty of ‘first, do no harm’. There is mounting evidence of serious adverse events, particularly myocarditis in the young, following COVID-19 vaccination. Adverse events reporting systems act as signalling systems so immediate action can be taken to prevent greater harm. There are currently strong enough signals to warrant an investigation. Vaccines are also contraindicated for individuals with certain health conditions. Vaccination of pregnant/breastfeeding women must be approached with great care – pregnant women were excluded from the vaccine trials; COVID-19 risk is low in healthy women of child-bearing age, while vaccine risks to the foetus/infant cannot be determined yet.

2. Beneficence

The duty to produce benefit for the individual. Health interventions should be based on individual needs. Vaccination is only indicated when the intervention clearly represents a greater benefit than risk for the individual. This criteria is not met for children and young people, individuals below 60 with no existing health problems, and individuals with a past SARS-CoV-2 infection (including asymptomatic infection).

3. Respect for autonomy

Allowing individuals to pursue their wellbeing as they perceive it. “Every person has a high value and cannot merely be treated as a means to the end of others’ good”. This entails seeking the individual’s informed consent before any medical intervention: informing them of the risks and benefits of the intervention and getting their voluntary consent without “any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, overreaching or other ulterior form of constraint or coercion”. Currently, individuals cannot be provided with full information on vaccine side effects as no long-term data exists yet. The results of the vaccine trials should be replicated by independent scientists prior to vaccine rollout to the high-risk group. Public transparency of all efficacy and safety data is necessary.

4. Health maximisation

Maximizing the health of all members of the general public requires a holistic and multi-layered approach: educating the public about a healthy lifestyle to improve their chronic illness, the importance of Vitamin D in fighting respiratory infections, the importance of home-based early treatment, the availability of life saving treatment protocols, safe and effective drugs (such as Ivermectin), as well as vaccines for the high-risk group. Vaccinating individuals who incur greater risk from the vaccine than benefit increases total harm.

5. Efficiency

The duty to produce as many benefits to as many people given limited resources. Vaccinating individuals who do not benefit from the intervention diverts valuable resources away from the vulnerable, as well as from far more devastating global health issues like TB, HIV, diabetes, cancer and cardiac diseases.

6. Justice

All humans have equal worth and no one should be discriminated against based on their health choices. Unfair practices such as denial of services, requirements for employment, restrictions on travel, higher insurance premiums for the unvaccinated create a two-tiered society. It breaks social solidarity and cohesion.

7. Proportionality

The reasonable balance between the benefits and costs of an intervention in terms of individual welfare versus collective benefit. Vaccines are designed to confer protection on the vaccinated. It is unethical for a person to incur any vaccine risk or lose personal freedoms  for the sake of somebody else.

8. Transimission of SARS-CoV-2

Can result from both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals due to similar viral load. The virus can also be transmitted among animals. Even if everyone is vaccinated, transmission will continue and variants will keep on evolving. A Zero COVID strategy is unrealistic and unachievable.

9. Herd Immunity

Can be reached through a combination of natural infection and vaccination. Natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is broad and long-lasting – more so than vaccine-induced immunity, especially in combating variants. Recovery from infection prevents serious illness if reinfected. It is not necessary to vaccinate the entire planet for the ‘greater good’ of society.

10. Non-derogable rights

As stated in Article 58 of the The Siracusa Principles on the Limitation and Derogation Provisions in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights(1958) apply under all circumstances, even under threat of ‘national security’

“No state party shall, even in time of emergency threatening the life of the nation, derogate from the Covenant’s guarantees of the right to life; freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and from medical or scientific experimentation without free consent; … and freedom of thought, conscience and religion. These rights are not derogable under any conditions even for the asserted purpose of preserving the life of the nation.”

Discover More

WEBSITES AGAINST
VACCINE PASSPORTS

Animap
A list of industries and products for companies from all sectors that allow all people free access to their products and services regardless of vaccination status.
Against Vaccine Passport
These are businesses who pride themselves on freedom and inclusivity. These are businesses who do not want to introduce a measure that is both discriminatory and divisive.
GreenList
Let’s build a better future by supporting those who treat their clients and staff with respect, dignity and integrity.
Take Action

How you can reject the divide

Create lists of businesses and decision-makers and email them the 10 reasons against vaccine passes. Protest on the ground against vaccine passes and refuse to show your pass if you are vaccinated. Start a website or app for your country to support businesses resisting the vaccine passes.

Lead Author
Abir Ballan
MPH

Abir has a Masters in Public Health, a graduate degree in special needs education and a BA in psychology. She is a children’s author with 27 published books. She has been an advocate for the inclusion of children with learning difficulties in mainstream schools. She is particularly committed to promoting the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

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