Have Your Say: Vaccine hesitancy
and the COVID 4th wave

Where is Elvis when we need him most?

August 5, 2021

COVID-19 cases are up dramatically in many areas, partly because of the new, more contagious Delta variant. Florida, for instance, had over 21,000 new infections reported in a single day on August 1. India was earlier ravaged by the new variant that is now also hitting China.

Another key reason for the spike in new cases is low vaccination rates in many populations. The objective is to achieve herd immunity, believed to happen when about 70 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. In the USA, the percentage of the adult population having received two doses of vaccine ranges by state from a high of 78% in Vermont to a low of 44% in Mississippi. The overall total there is 49.6 percent according to The New York Times and far too low for herd immunity.

Canada has now outpaced the USA with 67 percent of our population fully vaccinated but we are not yet at herd immunity either. Vaccine hesitancy in both countries is being fuelled largely by misinformation, often circulating online.

According to some online rumours, the vaccine will alter our DNA and allow either the government or billionaire Bill Gates to control our minds. There is also a real risk of adverse effects, mainly feeling bad for a day or two after the inoculation. That is a pretty good tradeoff against catching COVID and possibly spending time in the ICU, being short-winded for months and perhaps even brain fog.

There is also a small chance of blood clots with some vaccines, seeming to affect about one person in a million. But if a vaccine or medication is effective, it is bound to have some side effects or contraindications.

And this is where Elvis Presley should come in. After the “King of Rock and Roll” released Heartbreak Hotel in 1956, he burst into stardom. RCA sold 10 million of his records in one year – produced at a factory in Montreal’s St-Henri district.

During this time, a polio epidemic was raging and public health officials were battling vaccine hesitancy among American youths where vaccination rates were less than one percent.
Elvis was scheduled for the Ed Sullivan Show in New York in October 1956, but before going on stage, rolled up his sleeve and took a jab in front of the cameras. He then belted out: You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog to his numerous fans and polio vaccination rates soared to 80 percent within six months. What a public service that rock star did!

Elvis literally left the stage on August 16, 1977, dying of heart disease. But today it is common to still see many look-alike musicians emulating the “King,” not only in musical style but also clothing, hairstyle, and sideburns. Perhaps this is the reason why so many people still claim to see the musician alive… But if Elvis is still out there somewhere, boy, do we ever need him now!

John Symon
Saint-Eustache

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca or its publishers.

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