Older Aussies who refuse the vaccine are doing young people a disservice

There’s a certain section of Aussie society that are shunning the vaccine and their behaviour is having a profound impact on others.

OPINION

Young people in Australia are bearing a massive burden during the pandemic, and they’ve every right to be furious at the disgracefully low vaccine take-up rate in the 70+ age group.

In NSW, where a large outbreak has been raging in Sydney for weeks, it is truly mind-boggling that according to federal government figures just over a third (37.82 per cent) of people aged over 70 are fully vaccinated.

More concerning still, more than one-in-five people over 70 are yet to have even their first shot. This age group has had the opportunity to be vaccinated for longer than anyone else, as part of group 1b in the national vaccination program.

People aged 70+ are most vulnerable to death from the disease. Yet, in great numbers, this at-risk portion of the population haven’t taken the opportunity to protect themselves. It’s worth asking, why?

Vaccinating against Covid-19 is the only way for Australians to get their normal lives back, but as a nation we’re struggling.

News.com.au’s Our Best Shot campaign answers your questions about the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

It’s fair to say the vaccine rollout has confused Australians. We’ll cut through the spin and give you clear information so you can make an informed decision.

First though, we must acknowledge that people of all ages are bearing a huge burden during the pandemic and it affects us all in different ways.

But consider the impact of lockdowns on the livelihood a young hospitality worker, for example, compared to a 70+ retiree.

The income of older people who rely on a pension or savings, doesn’t materially change when businesses close and lockdowns start. But for a young casual worker, income goes to zero, until perhaps, the government throws them a small bone.

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Every time there’s a lockdown it’s young people who find themselves in the Centrelink queue. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Young people, in great numbers, are doing the right thing and staying home, at enormous sacrifice, in order to protect their community and the lives of the older and more vulnerable.

Many of them would have loved to have been vaccinated these past months, but haven’t been able to, as limited vaccines were being prioritised for the elderly, many of whom we’ve discovered, haven’t been taking advantage of their privileged place at the front of the queue.

All young people ask is that their elders hold up their end of the bargain by getting vaccinated. Young people, when they do eventually return to work, will see their taxes paying off the pandemic welfare debt for years to come.

This debt was acquired to protect the lives of the vulnerable, and rightly so. The least the parents and grandparents of these young people can do to help now, is to get the jab, if they’re able to do so, as a down payment on their borrowing from the community.

RELATED: Seven words that end all lockdowns

Group 1b have had ample time and opportunity to get vaccinated yet some of them are conspicuously absent. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images.

Health leaders acknowledge the debacle we’re in and how frustrating it is that older people haven’t been vaccinated. Earlier this week, NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant said, “It is actually quite distressing, when I review the numbers, to see how few over even 60-year-olds and over 70-year-olds we have managed to reach.”

Today, with NSW case numbers rising above 200, she became even more direct.

“We cannot live with the Delta strain with the current level of vaccination in our community,” she told Thursday’s media conference.

“Please, if you are over 70, if you’re over 60, if you’re really any age, you need to take up the opportunity. But I’m drawing the point to the fact that the consequences for someone over 70 will inevitably be almost tragic. So please get vaccinated. Make an appointment.”

But if we’re apportioning blame, I’m not sure our fingers should be pointed purely at older people. After all, they, like all of us, have been sent mixed messages on vaccines for a year.

It’s the government’s responsibility to not only acquire and deliver vaccines, but to educate the public that taking an approved vaccine is safe, effective and the right thing to do to protect your own life and livelihood, and those of the people around you. It’s also their job to incentivise people to do it.

That education has been missing for people of all ages, especially the over 70s and we’ve all paid the price.

In the absence of clear, engaging and motivating government communication, the vacuum of education has been filled with media stories pitting one vaccine against another, dangerous social media misinformation which spreads almost as fast as the virus, and the scuttlebutt of conversations among friends and families about whether they should wait for one vaccine over another.

It’s led to fear, anxiety, vaccine brand-shopping and a wave of hesitancy that has imperilled us all.

Perhaps the government’s lack of communication is because it didn’t want to create a demand for vaccines that it knew it couldn’t supply yet. Who knows?

But whatever the reason, we’re in a crisis. Older people over 70 aren’t vaccinated in sufficient numbers and their lives are at risk during this Sydney outbreak. Their vulnerability is everyone’s vulnerability as we shut down in order to keep everyone safe and reduce the demand on our hospitals and health workers.

The best time for governments to educate people on vaccines was months ago.

The next best time for them to start is now.

And because the government hasn’t been great at doing it, if you’re a young person, take the initiative and talk to the older people you love about vaccination. Share accurate, reliable information with them, and help them to make an appointment if they need it.

You may well save their life. You may well save your life. And perhaps everyone’s livelihood as well.

Chris Urquhart is a communications consultant and the author of ‘Making News: The Ultimate Guide to Handling the Media’.