Is there a moral duty in SI to take the Covid vaccines given the nature of the pandemic and its consequences, personal, social, and economic?
Fiji reported 253 new cases and three deaths on Friday.
That compared with 250 cases and one death reported on Thursday.
There are now 16,352 active cases in isolation with the death toll at 508, with 505 of them from this latest outbreak that began in April.
As of 1 September 2021, 560,940 adults in Fiji have received their first dose of the vaccine and 278,131 got both jabs.
The Health Ministry said this means that 96 percent of the target population has received at least one dose and 48.4 percent are now fully-vaccinated nation-wide.
Fifty percent of Fijians in the hesitant group of a survey say the fear of side-effects is the reason they will not vaccinate against Covid-19.
There is prevalence of belief in Fiji that faith plays a vital role in sustaining health and well-being and there would be no need for vaccines."
I view the question posed by this letter from a personal perspective as there are rights issues and religious consideration to be taken into consideration, and while not being a lawyer or a theologian, I conclude -
There is a duty to get a vaccination since there is no alternative at present and the Covid variants are known to be deadly and easily transferable.
The vaccines on offer are considered in most countries are considered morally licit in the judgment of most theologians and Church authorities
From a legal perspective, I believe a higher court would defer to public health authorities (MHMS in the Solomon Islands, in matters of public health, but engage in strict scrutiny if the government should interfere with fundamental freedoms and rights as provided in the Constitution.
Provided the government acts justly and reasonably to avert a serious health threat (which Covit poses), I rather think a higher court would cede to the MHMS the power to act for the communal good.
As my comments are purely personal views reaction is invited
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
