Be Wise, Immunise!

It has been a very difficult 10 months for all, however the most to have been affected by the Covid19 pandemic is, without a doubt, the healthcare sector. Our hospitals have been working endlessly to keep the sick safe, and by ‘the sick’ we do not mean only those hit by the covid19 virus.

Besides our hospitals, homes for the elderly have experienced a very difficult period trying to keep the most vulnerable safe. The elderly, were and still are being kept away from their loved ones, have been practically ‘entrapped’ in their homes, and yet have been the most to have fallen victim of this horrendous killer! Could there ever be any better reason for them to be given priority when it comes to taking the vaccine?

Over these 10 months, Care Home Operators, together with their Business Section representatives within The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, have been working endlessly to keep the residents of their respective homes safe. From full lock down to a partial lock down which saw staff and elderly being swabbed for the virus regularly and elderly confined to small bubbles and then, worse, confined to their rooms. One would think that this way, all residents in homes would have stayed safe yet one must not forget that there are other ailments to affect the elderly. From diabetes to hypertension, to strokes and heart failures, all but a few of the regular occurrences in homes that lead to the residents having to go to our hospitals. The result? As long as the number of covid19 cases continue to increase amongst the public, more people contracting the virus need to be hospitalised and in turn, there is a greater chance of the elderly to come into contact with the virus itself. Simply because they had to be treated for other illnesses. Not because of their going out to socialise, not because of people working with them being indifferent or careless!

Home operators have not stopped with their measures to protect the residents in their care. An initiative taken by the homes is to build on a campaign to better educate the residents, their relatives, staff and the general public on why we should ‘be wise and immunise’, the slogan chosen for the campaign. Experts in the field have been engaged by home operators to explain the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine which is the first to arrive in our country. They explain the tests that were done to finally come out with this vaccine, they explain the myths and the facts of the vaccine and give us many different reasons why one should definitely consider getting immunised.

Let’s look at the number of people that have succumbed to the virus, let us look at their ages and let us look at our loved ones in their age group whom we could easily lose had they to contract the virus. This alone is reason enough why the elderly should be given the vaccine sooner rather than later, why they should be the ones, besides health care workers, on the very top of the list for the vaccine. No if’s or buts just facts! ‘To protect the vulnerable’ ‘to save a life’ and to give ‘more time’ to the people that have sacrificed so much for us time and time again.

Three posters, complete with QR codes for more information, have been produced by The Malta Chamber Elderly Home Operators Business Section, to accompany this campaign.