I realize how lucky I am to live in Canada with access to some of the best health care in the world including enough covid vaccines for the entire population. How sadly ironic it is that Canadians have the luxury to refuse a life saving vaccination but, if they do contract a serious infection, they have access to the excellent therapeutics and treatments we have developed over the course of the pandemic. Expensive, but the best.

Unfortunately for a large swath of the world’s population, this is not the case. Not only don’t they have access to rudimentary health care, they are also defenseless against a virus that can be simply overcome with one or two jabs.

COVAX was established to ensure equitable access to covid vaccines for all countries. And while COVAX has been somewhat successful, it could do better. There was a global summit yesterday, September 23, 2021, in which global leaders underlined their commitment to COVAX. However, some have leveled criticism at developed countries of talking the talk, while not fully walking the walk. As citizens of a COVAX signatory country, we can do our bit by urging our federal government to play a leading role in advocating and providing vaccines for the entire world. Email: pm@pm.gc.ca

We can also do our bit by donating to one of the many humanitarian organizations that are helping desperate and impoverished people who have been inordinately impacted by the pandemic. I have attached a link to UNICEF Canada as one possible humanitarian group. There are many others.

Perhaps it’s time for all of us to walk the walk rather than just talking the talk. We all benefit from a thriving and surviving world.

Jayne Sutherland
Thornbury