Doctors Appeal To The Public To Get Vaccinated

September 23, 2021

[Updated] A number of local doctors are appealing to the public to “please get vaccinated,” saying it “is the best tool we have to survive this pandemic, not only as individuals but as a community.

In an open letter, the doctors said, “Dear Bermuda, We are your healthcare workers. We are your physicians, nurses, dentists, therapists, counselors, technicians and frontline workers.

“We are also your neighbors, your friends, and your relatives. We are your loved ones, and you are ours. We have worked, played, laughed and cried together. We all share the love for this beautiful island we all call Home, and the dream of a safe and Covid-free world.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected all of our lives. Our hearts are breaking as we witness the fallout from the effects of the pandemic on our community. Our hearts and minds are heavy. We are tired, worried, scared, not only for ourselves, but for our patients, many of whom are facing the biggest challenge of their lives. We are holding the worry of those who are sick and the sorrow of those who have already lost a loved one.

“We have lost patients we have treated for decades, who had shared with us not only their medical issues but the details that make up the fabric of their lives. We have seen our patients’ excitement as they discuss their upcoming wedding day, the birth of their first child and seeing that child graduate university.

“And in the past 18 months, we have lost 45 of those patients who we came to know and love. We have had to break the news to their families that they’ve lost a beloved mother, father, sister, brother or child. We are all someone’s child. And we don’t want to have to hold anyone else as they weep for their loss.

“We carry the worry, not only for our acute Covid-19 patients, but for all the patients with any other existing health issues, whose care has been delayed due to this pandemic.

sept 22 KEMH Covid Bermuda square text

“You trust us with your lives and the lives of your loved ones every day – for which we are honoured and thankful. Using that same trust, please, get vaccinated. We ask this from the bottom of our hearts. We ask this with all the earnestness we have from dedicating our lives to keeping you safe and well to the best of our abilities.

“We are tired, but we will never stop working. Through burnout, through our own sorrow, we will never stop working for you. But the work would be more manageable to us and less taxing on the system if we can prevent too many people from getting seriously ill. And we can.

“We have studied the available data. We have seen the benefits of vaccination with our own eyes. The Covid-19 vaccines are well tested, and highly effective in preventing deadly disease. The risks of vaccination are significantly lower than the risk posed by getting ill from Covid-19. It is the best tool we have to survive this pandemic, not only as individuals but as a community.

“And yes, continue masking, and social distancing, even if you are vaccinated. The Delta variant is highly contagious.

“If you develop any symptoms, please isolate yourself, stay at home and contact your GP. Avoid going to our overwhelmed emergency room, unless you are in a life-threatening situation.

“You have trusted us with every aspect of your health. Please, trust us with this as well. We are not asking you to do anything that we ourselves have not already done. For your sake and for the sake of us all, please get vaccinated.”

Signed,

Your healthcare providers:

Dr. Benjamin Lau
Dr. Laura Murphy
Dr. Stephen Kenny
Dr. Annie Pinto
Dr. Sylvanus Nawab
Dr. Sophie Mathew
Dr. Hannah Murray
Dr. Wendy M. Woods
Dr. Andrew West
Dr. Joseph Froncioni
Dr. Jennifer Barth
Dr. Annabel Carter
Dr. Burton Butterfield
Dr. Jonathan Power
Dr. Kristen Woodward
Dr. Nicola Terceira

Update: As of September 24th, nine more local doctors have signed on to the letter, and there names have been added above.

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You can find more information on the links below from our dedicated website BermudaCovid.com, which is the most comprehensive resource and historic record available of Bermuda’s handling of the pandemic.

  • All Charts: Vaccine, testing & more here
  • Timelines: Dates of major developments here
  • Test results: Chart of testing stats here
  • Vaccine: Data covering vaccinations here
  • Dedicated website: BermudaCovid.com

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Comments (11)

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  1. Bron says:

    Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and feelings and I too encourage and plead with those who are hastened. Please fellow Bermudians heed the words of our frontline workers and take the step to bring and resolution to the ongoing stresses our country faces due to this pandemic.
    If you are afraid ask someone to go with you to get your shot but please do it so the country can rebound from this nightmare.

    • Dejavu says:

      All Frontline workers aren’t vaccinated so….

      • Loadie says:

        This boggles my mind. Gov needs to get tough. Classic case of the tail wagging the dog.

      • What? says:

        Absolutely not true. There are still unvaccinated front line workers.

        We as a community need to educate and continue to push vaccinations. It’s our only tool against this virus we have no other outs.

        The sooner we get over this, the sooner we can focus on far more pressing matters, such as climate change.

  2. The full picture says:

    If you choose to get vaccinated please schedule a follow up antibodies test. This tool is only effective when your body produces the antibodies in response to the vaccine. They are not 100%. So please do not leave yourself unknowingly vulnerable to this deadly disease. In fact I encourage everyone to get antibodies tested so you can know your status. Immunity by definition means the presence of antibodies and you can ask any of the doctors listed above to verify that. Vaccinated doesn’t mean that you are immune only the presence of antibodies!!!

  3. Check Yourself... says:

    Who is writing these narratives? Why are they spreading such blanket fear!

    There exists a group of people whom are “at risk” and or “vulnerable” to COVID-19 (over 60 yrs old and all people with co-morbidities that place them in this group) and it is this group that I believe should by all means protect themselves by getting vaccinated. Again, by “at risk” and “vulnerable” I am referring to people whom are most likely to need hospitalization for care that cant be achieved at home or those at risk of death.

    Everyone else falls into a category that may or may not even get sick and even if they do they will recover. Its their choice to get vaccinated or not. Are they still pushing that the “vaccine” will somehow stop COVID from spreading? (Data says otherwise..) It “may” slow spread but at what cost to the otherwise healthy person who takes it (maybe not immediately but long term)?

    Do we believe that if 100% of Bermuda gets vaccinated that will be the end of it? I agree that the current data does show that hospitalizations and deaths among the “vulnerable” will be lowered (not ended) and thus ease the pressure on the hospital but why the insistent fear tactic on all the population? Again encourage all “vulnerable” to get vaccinated!

    The co-morbidities data shows that “fear disorders” are #2 on the list for hospitalizations from COVID. Think about that for a moment!

    It would be great if it was as simple as getting “vaccinated” and everything would be rosy however things are much more complicated than that. Most importantly it no ones fault for the choice they make in this situation as all the “data” is not known. A breakthrough treatment today could be tomorrows nightmare. Hopefully not!

    Lets see if these same fear mongers push as hard to find and hold those responsible for releasing this virus onto the world should this be proven fact.

    Vaccinated or not should not let us lose focus on what is and has been happening around the world forever as we know it. Think “money, wealth, power, control, equality”. If we put as much attention into these things maybe, just maybe, the world would be a much better place for all and not just for some.

  4. Pythagoras says:

    Bda -4,800 cases of covid in 65,000 population = 7%
    USA – 42 million cases of covid in 330 million population = 13%
    Bermuda proportionally has half the number of cases.

    Bda – 45 deaths in 65,000 population = 0.07%
    USA – 670,000 deaths in 330 mil. population = 0.2%.
    Bermuda proportionally has one third the deaths.
    If Bermuda was to match USA proportionally for deaths, we would need 130 deaths.

    Bda – 45 deaths out of 4800 cases = 0.9%
    USA – 670,000 deaths out of 42 million cases = 1.6%
    Bermuda proportionally has less lethal covid, generally speaking.

    • Joe Bloggs says:

      Thank you, Pythagoras, for that analysis. That shows that we are doing better than the United States at controlling the transmission of COVID-19 (or “The China virus” which the American President said was no worse than ordinary flu).

      Now how about a comparison to more relevant jurisdictions? How does Bermuda compare with Turks and Caicos or Cayman or the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands?

    • Hey says:

      That’s because a greater proportion in Bermuda are vaccinated.. Duh!

    • MaestroBda says:

      Thanks so much for sharing. Now let me get back to reading more news and comments from the fear-mongers.

  5. David Barber says:

    I, David Barber would like to add my name to the list. The issue is really about balancing the pros against the cons. The balance is heavily in favour of getting the vaccine; especially if you are a senior or a ‘vulnerable’ person