The world faces a pandemic divide

 Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
Opinion - New Straits Times
July 27, 2021

In the attempt to control the pandemic, the coronavirus has famously exposed the anatomy of divides across the world.

It covers not only the haves and have-nots in terms of economics, but also in terms of geographical locations (urban vs rural), technological advantages, race, religion and cultural dimensions. It seems set to create its own divide — the "vaccinated" and "unvaccinated"!

France, of late, seems to be in the lead. Reportedly, French cinemas, museums and sports venues — including the Louvre and Eiffel Tower — are requiring visitors to furnish proof of vaccination or a negative test.

It is said to be part of the so-called "vaccine passport system" or health pass, which will then be extended to restaurants, cafes and shopping centres next month.

The controversial policy is said to be in response to "new infections" involving more people who have not been vaccinated, signalling the fourth wave.

In the United Kingdom (UK), it is dubbed the "ping-demic" in reference to a digital tracking apps to reign in the Covid-19 surge.

The Delta variant, which appears much easier to spread is concerning.

The phenomenon is blamed for everything, with the ping deluge estimated to be one in five resorting to deleting the app altogether, although record numbers of Britons are said to have downloaded the app.

In so doing, the UK has dropped many of its lockdown restrictions to relieve people of logistical, emotional and financial challenges.

Nevertheless, it is not fool-proof as there are still many infections the system is not catching, especially those who do not have handphones.

Not surprising, therefore, some deemed this as "a lack of clear, fair rules leading to widespread frustration as people are told to self-isolate".

As observed by experts throughout the pandemic, public health technology is "deeply intertwined with everything around it" beginning with the way it is marketed, discussed in the media, by professionals and supported by politicians.

Meanwhile, the UK government admitted that this is related to the fact that users of the official contact tracing app are anonymous and "we cannot force them to self-isolate or identify them if they are not self-isolating".

As such, the pingdemic has led to several calls to reform the current self-isolation rules.

People who are isolated should not go to school, work or public places, use public transport or taxis, go out for food or medicine, have visitors, or go out for exercise.

But, it is more complex than that. While people legally required to self-isolate if they test positive or are contacted by NHS Test and Trace, this however does not extend to the app.

The NHS guidance says that people should self-isolate immediately if they have Covid-19 symptoms, test positive for the virus, live with someone with symptoms or has tested positive, or have been told to isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS Covid-19 app.

As for the United States, reportedly 45 per cent of the Americans who have not had Covid-19 vaccine jabs admitted that they do not have any plans to get the shots, according to a new poll recently.

Another 35 per cent are less sure and will probably not get the vaccines.

Only three per cent of those polled said they would get the shots, whereas 16 per cent would probably get the vaccines.

Allegedly, 64 per cent of the unvaccinated Americans who participated in the survey told pollsters that they had little to no confidence that the vaccines are effective against the Covid-19 variants, including the highly transmissible Delta variant.

In contrast, 86 per cent of those vaccinated believe the vaccines work.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, the current US surge in cases is due "a pandemic of the unvaccinated" because nearly all current patients and those who have recently died from the coronavirus are unvaccinated.

Some are starting to blame "the unvaccinated folks", saying they "are letting us down".

With the confirmed global Covid cases to date exceeding more than 193 million with over four million deaths and counting, the pressure on the unvaccinated will mount, making the new divide a sad reality.

The writer, an NST columnist for more than 20 years, is International Islamic University Malaysia rector