This Canadian Thanksgiving weekend is a good time to remind Canadians of the media advice from the media's chosen experts: Do not invite "the unvaccinated" to Thanksgiving dinner.
Unvaccinated relatives? Here are the risks around the Thanksgiving table | Global News - Rachel Gilmore:
October 5, 2021 - "With Thanksgiving weekend just days away, experts say choosing not to invite your unvaccinated relatives is the safer, smarter and more ethical option — especially while kids can’t get a COVID-19 jab.
"'The vaccines are really effective, but they’re most effective when you’re surrounded by vaccinated people,' said Dr. Matthew Miller, assistant dean at McMaster University’s department of biochemistry and biomedical sciences. 'If you introduce an unvaccinated person who might be infected into that group, then everyone’s risk of a breakthrough infection increases'....
"Having that awkward conversation with your unvaccinated relative or friend is actually the most ethical thing you can do, according to bioethicist Vardit Ravitsky, who teaches at Université de Montréal and Harvard’s medical school. 'It’s absolutely reasonable, beyond reasonable. I think it’s totally ethical,' Ravitsky said. 'I think the people who should worry about the ethical aspects of their decisions are those who choose not to be vaccinated.'
"At this point, she said, those who are able to be vaccinated but choose not to do so aren’t just doing the equivalent of driving without a seatbelt — they’re driving drunk.... 'And so I think that even in this very, very sensitive context of families and friends, a part of our ethical responsibility right now is still to educate, to advocate for vaccination and to try and convince our relatives and friends to do the right thing....
"'Usually, our human rights and freedoms are the main consideration in our society, but we’re living in a very particular point in time,' she said. 'This is all temporary. We will get out of this. But in order to get out of it and get back to respect for human rights and your liberty to choose what to do, we need the vaccine....'
"If the conversation goes poorly and you’re feeling guilty about booting a relative from this year’s invite list, Ravitsky said you should cut yourself some slack. 'Those who are struggling with the fact that we cannot invite people that we usually invite, we should not carry this burden of guilt,' she said. 'It’s those who are not vaccinated that should carry this burden'....
"Miller added that Canadians can take other steps to make their dinners safer, including opening windows, keeping their gatherings small or even eating outside. Getting family members tested for COVID-19 can add another layer of protection, too.... But before sitting down to supper, Miller says Canadians should take that awkward, added precaution of telling unvaccinated family members not to attend."
Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/8241995/covid-pandemic-vaccine-unvaccinated-thanksgiving-risk/
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