Trust, truth and the rise of vaccine outrage.
| Author: | Dyani Lewis |
| Publisher: | Wurundjeri Country, Richmond, Vic. : Hardie Grant Books, 2022. |
| ISBN: | 9781743798829 1743798822 |
| Characteristics: | 122 pages ; 21 cm, Paperback. |
| Source: | |
| Date Read: | 17-Feb-2025 |
The book title attracted my attention rather than the contents, as I was keen to learn more about Covid vaccines. Straight away, its political side reveals itself with an Aboriginal name in the address. And it’s a “The Crikey Read” book. But I thought it might be good to get a different viewpoint.
Compared to Vax-Unvax, there aren’t as many charts and there aren’t as many statistics. The author believes that vaccines are good for all.
Vaccines certainly do save lives, but the mRNA ones use a new technology and were untried on a large population, until Covid-19 hit. In haste, these vaccines were released without enough testing, an issue raised by the book Vax-Unvax.
The impression I got from the vaccine benefit data was that those aged over 40yo or 50yo got the most benefit, as in less hospitalisations compared to the unvaccinated patients. For those under 40yo there was little difference, but there was a larger risk of side effects, especially with the mRNA vaccines.
The author discusses the almost cult like antagonism towards vaccines and to those who took them. I recall seeing in Healesville shops with notices saying “Vaccinated Unwelcome”. I don’t have an issue with people who are vaccinated, it’s their health and if they want it, let them get it. But vaccines should not be mandated, especially untried new ones. Individuals should have control of what goes into their bodies.
The argument was that those vaccinated caused less disease spread, but this has never been proven. From my own experience, there was no difference from my own bout with Covid-19 compared with an unvaccinated friend.
Vaccine mandates are not ideal, according to the author, and tend to get people’s resistance up. I think it would have been better to highly encourage vaccination, through channels such as TV and social media.
The author mentions she has not spoken to her mother for several years due to a falling out over vaccination. I’m guessing her mother was against vaccination, even though she would be in an age group that would benefit most. The mandates have caused much damage to the social fabric of families, and to the larger community, dividing people between to vaccinate or not to vaccinate.
Book Blurb
Unvaxxed is a nuanced, timely look at vaccine hesitancy and how uncertainty and misinformation have influenced the Australian experience of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anti-vax protests, the ‘scamdemic’, disproven home remedies: how did we get here? The realities of lockdowns and the erosion of trust in government and authority have fed into a small but significant history of anti-vaxxing in Australia that has found unlikely bedfellows in the QAnon conspiracy cult, white supremacy movements and the wellness community.
The genie is out of the bottle – what do we do now? Do vaccine mandates work, or do they simply hasten the erosion of trust and the spread of different kinds of ‘truth’ on the subject of vaccines? And what is the actual first-hand human fallout from vaccine refusal for families split over the issue?
Interweaving personal experience and first-hand narratives from those on the front lines alongside smart, perceptive and compassionate commentary on the scientific and sociocultural effects of vaccine misinformation, Unvaxxed plots a sorely needed way forward for Australia in 2022. From Crikey and Hardie Grant Books, The Crikey Read is a series that brings an unflinching and truly independent eye to the issues of the day in Australia and the world.
