New Brunswick — With New Brunswick lagging behind other provinces in citizens getting the third dose — or even the first two — of the COVID-19 vaccine, doctors and politicians are scratching their heads as to why.
“It’s not that hard, is it?” said Health Minister Dorothy Shephard, rhetorically, to our reporter. “Against all logic, we have removed all the rules and regulations, so you can do whatever you want now — everyone else be damned. But why not get the three shots, if only to help yourself be a bit less sick when you get COVID?”
“Easy!” interjected a passerby. “We’re tired of it all! It’s just plain vaccination fatigue!”
Shephard invited the man over to discuss his stance.
“It’s kind of like when just thinking about all the stuff on your to-do list tires you out and you need a break,” said Jeff Allison, 44, who gave up after receiving one shot of the vaccine. “I was working my way up to getting it done, but then said, hell, why bother if the pandemic is pretty much over now anyway?”
Upon further investigation, The Manatee found several others who share Allison’s view.
“Yeah, I have vaccination fatigue — I also have housework fatigue,” said Kelly Olmstead, 51, “so I’m not doing that either until I feel like it again. You can’t force yourself to do something just because it’ll help someone else or be a nice thing to do. That’s crazy.”
“I already had mask fatigue from having to wear it to the grocery store once a week,” said Lacey McDonough, 38, “and sometimes to Walmart. I was so sick of it, so obviously I stopped wearing it the second the restrictions dropped.
“Now, I’m like, why get boosted if I’m just going to get COVID anyway? It’s a lot of effort, driving to the pharmacy and waiting there a few minutes and all that. What’s next, yet another booster I’ll be too tired to even start to think about?”
Some are even claiming to be too fatigued to cover their mouths when they cough, or wash their hands.
“I’m not washing my hands a million times a day just because it might stop the spread of COVID,” said a visibly sick Matt Jeffries, 29. “I have more important things to do. At some point we need to move on with our lives, right?”