To vax or not to vax

I knew I wanted to get vaccinated as soon as the Covid-19 jabs were made available to the general public in the US, and that when it was my turn I would have access to it.

It was not the same for people in Nepal, and I remember family and friends back home telling me how hard it was to get a vaccine earlier this year. And a lot of it depended on whether you had the right connections.

People in Nepal were struggling to find their first doses, whereas in the US people did not want to get vaccinated against Covid-19 despite a raging pandemic. Those without access to jabs were confused with those who did not want to get vaccinated.

All international students studying in the US must provide proof of immunisations against MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella), Varicella Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) and Meningitis.

I completely understand the reasoning behind requiring those vaccinations, it is to keep people safe, and it never entered my mind to argue the logic.

Did I ever feel like my freedoms were being curtailed because I needed to show proof of those inoculations? No. Did I feel like someone was infringing on my choice? No. Did I have a problem getting the necessary vaccine for the greater good? No.

So why is it different from the Covid vaccine? The main reason to be vaccinated…