Anti-vax tragedy is playing out in the cemeteries

Website sorryantivaxxer serves as a shocking insight to the levels of fear and delusion out there, as well as the tragic consequences of a politicised pandemic.

They say people should be persuaded, and not compelled. The trouble is, conversation and persuasion is ­logistically impossible. Picture: Nicole Cleary

There is an American website called sorryantivaxxer. The purpose of it, according to the owner, is educational. Everyone listed on the site is said to be an anti-vaxxer activist who has spread Covid-19 misinformation on social media, but now has contracted the virus.

As proof, the site has posted their photos, names, occupations, locations and social media posts, along with regular updates on their health status. This is all public information, gleaned from online. Mostly, the people shown are listed as now deceased, but some are still alive, and often fighting for their lives.

Many are in positions of influence; Republican politicians, right-wing radio hosts and church leaders. Some have been “rescued” from hospital, where they consider themselves to be victims of “medical kidnapping”. In these circles, ventilation is seen as a deliberate act of murder inflicted by medical staff, who are part of a conspiracy to kill people, while blaming a false pandemic, which they call the “plandemic”.

Some have had friends attend their hospital to harass medical staff and stage protests, demanding treatment with ­remedies such as Ivermectin and vitamins.

One fellow was rescued by his brother from a medical kidnapping at hospital and taken home. As he suffered an agonising and slow death, his brother posted updates about it on social media. He also posted photos of a community nurse who attended the house, trying to help, to out her as someone who was effectively murdering his brother.

It is a desperately sad thing to wade through this material. It serves as a shocking insight to the staggering levels of fear and delusion out there, as well as the tragic consequences of a politicised pandemic.

Everyone in a position of power, with a public voice, should visit this site. They will see other people in positions of power on there who have lost their own lives, and have contributed to the death of others.

Don’t think of the presence of these belief systems as something limited to the US. We are seeing evidence of it here, right now. We have our own people in politics and the media who have long pushed, in their own way, people into the anti-vaccination camp.

They have fed conspiracy, feted delusion and whipped people up to encourage them to break the law and protest.

It is not just systems of belief that spread on the internet. This week, Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley spoke of people looking online for “crooks” to buy fake vaccination certificates.

On the Gold Coast, a 45-year-old was arrested after allegedly posing as a doctor and issuing 600 medical certificates exempting residents from undergoing Covid testing, wearing a mask and receiving a Covid-19 vaccine.

GPs and pharmacists in Perth reported receiving fake legal letters threatening to strip them of their indemnity unless they stop administering vaccines. One surgery had a car cruise by, with anti-vaccination sentiments blaring over the loudspeakers, and the following day, their premises was plastered with anti-vaccination stickers.

In the Northern Territory, the chief health officer said that social media influencers – some from US anti-vaccination and religious organisations – are targeting Indigenous communities to prevent the uptake of vaccination.

In regional Victoria, a local post office announced on social media that they would be closing, and the mail would no longer be delivered. “I apologise for the inconvenience this will cause for you all but it’s my freedom of choice,” the owner said. Two days later, she announced the post office would remain open, having made a vaccine booking. As part of Victorian health orders, a vaccination is required.

There are those who oppose health orders specifying vaccination as a condition of employment or entry to premises. They say people should be persuaded, and not compelled. The trouble is, conversation and persuasion is ­logistically impossible. Moreover, for many, any discussion is wasted breath. Some people are defiant and fact-resistant.

When presented with reality, the vast majority will come across the line. Just as people can choose not to be vaccinated, others can choose not to let the unvaccinated into their homes, or business premises. For inspiration, we can all look to Canberra. This city is soon to be one of the most highly vaccinated places in the world – 99 per cent of Canberrans age 12 and up have now had one dose of the vaccine. And this week, Canberra was the first jurisdiction in Australia to reach the 70 per cent milestone of fully vaccinated people from age 12 and up.

There is no doubt in my mind, the future belongs to the vaccinated. It belongs to vaccinated individuals, and also to the most highly vaccinated places. As we adjust to living with Covid, the most desirable locations will be those with the highest level of vaccination. The least desirable will be the unvaccinated holdouts, because they will be the places with higher levels of disease and the misery it brings.