Vaccination and Gratitude

By: Farhah Nadhirah

It has been 20 months since Covid-19 first plagued Malaysia. Currently, Malaysia is vaccinating the population as many people as possible to achieve herd immunity. In retrospect, it sounds straightforward, no? That was what I, a 20-year-old university student, had thought when I first heard the plan- get the vaccine to not only help protect myself but also to protect others. Having a younger sibling who cannot be vaccinated makes taking the shot even more important. I was also lucky, as I got my vaccination appointment earlier than most, and I did not think much when I accepted the appointment. All in my thoughts was, "It doesn't matter which vaccine I'll be getting; as long as it helps protect me, then it's fine," and that was it. My whole family was vaccinated with Sinovac- excluding my youngest sister, who is not old enough to be vaccinated.

Fast forward a few weeks after my first dose; my mother had gotten off the phone very upset- her sister (my aunt) and her children had refused to take any other vaccine besides Pfizer with the excuse of "It's my body, so I decide what I get". I was surprised, to say the least, as I did not expect them to be so close-minded. I was disappointed with their words and actions as I had so many friends from other states who are still waiting for their turn to get an appointment. At the same time, people here in Selangor dares to turn down an appointment just because it was not their preferred vaccine. And what disappoints me the most? I realized how even with the current walk-in vaccination centers, foreigners- meaning refugees and migrants, would need to go to Bukit Jalil National Stadium to get their vaccines- which means some of them need to travel very far for it.

What I am trying to convey is that, while there are people here who are selfishly deciding to be picky, there are those who do not have any options- who have to travel far from their homes and risk themselves throughout the journey as they do not have private transportation- to be able to protect their loved ones. To me, it is already a luxury for us in Selangor to have more than 100 vaccination centers and get the vaccine for free and to be able to get the vaccine nearby to your home? I know it sounds small, but these little things constitute our gratitude in the life we live in. In these past few months, working with Sekolah Islamiyah and getting updates on the students and their families, it breaks my heart each time we were given news of any Covid-19 infections and death- all the while reading and listening to the nonsense these anti-vaxxers and picky people spout to argue their "rights" when they, themselves are violating other people's rights to their lives.

I am grateful for having to experience my life- to observe the difference in attitudes of those who are given so much luxury yet so little gratitude. In contrast, those given so little show so much appreciation that it opens my eyes to the little things in life that I have taken for granted for so long. Hence, let us all be reminded to always be grateful for even the smallest of kindness- because there are people out there who received even smaller and still full of gratitude.

**This article is personal opinion of the writer and does not represent Sekolah Islamiyah as a whole.