Yo brother!
Let’s get shot
Get shot, sis?
Do you want me to get killed?
Brother, get shot to live long
Get shot to prosper
Gunshots lead to trauma unit
That’s not the life for me
Brother, get shot not to get buried six feet under
Get shot not to get cremated
Sis, are you out of your mind?
What are you talking about?
Do you want to end up on a ventilator?
Do you want to die in ICU without any family member around you?
Oh sis, you will visit me if I am in ICU
And comfort and hug me
Get shot in the arm to avoid suffering
Get shot to avoid Long COVID
Oh, a shot to prevent COVID-19?
I do not want Lilliputian or Long COVID
COVID-19 vaccines work like a charm
No hospitalisations nor death!
But sis how about allergic reaction, shock?
Media stories make me pee in my pajamas
With telltale signs, the shock needs be recognized right away
And treating it immediately prevents death
How do I know if I am developing shock?
What to look for?
Flushing, welts, itching, swelling of face,
Gasping for air, dizziness, vomiting and so on
Sis, thank you. I do not want vaccine
I don’t want to die from shock
So far, nobody has died because of shock
Injection to counter the shock keeps Grim reaper away
Is injection that effective?
What magic medicine are you talking about?
Brother, adrenaline shot
Also called epinephrine injection
Yeah, I have seen epinephrine auto-injector
Any other medication besides, epinephrine?
Epi epi epi, start with epi, repeat epi if needed
Don’t forget to call for additional help
Got it! How about reports of the vaccine killing senior citizens?
Sis, whom I believe - you or media?
When a tree falls after a crow sits on a branch
Would you blame the crow, brother?
Sis, I know association does not necessarily imply causation
How do we decipher cause and effect?
Brother, methodical analysis of data.
Tincture of time and strength of evidence separates wheat from the chaff
Yeah, but how about side effects in the future?
I have to think of all possibilities
Known knowns, known unknowns
Unknown knowns, unknown unknowns
Okay, jab me in the arm now
Which vaccine is the best?
Whichever you qualify
Get in the line
Media spits numbers non-stop
Efficacy 68%, 94%, 95% on and on
Great, bro you are keeping up
Getting into the weeds!
Sis, no weeds
Anyway, quite a few vaccines to choose from
Don’t get drowned by efficacy numbers
Approved vaccines prevent hospitalizations and deaths
Ouch! vaccine will cause aches and pains
Headache, fever, chills
Brother, don’t you get it?
Zero hospitalisations and deaths
Oh sis, I am invincible
No vaccine for me
Come on brother, millions got vaccinated so far
They are helping themselves and others
But vagary of variants clouds my judgement
Media parrots variants more contagious, virulent, on and on
Of course, we monitor variants vigilantly
Which one bugs you? British, South African, Brazilian?
Sis, sshhh, no stereotyping
Say B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1
Yeah, social justice warrior
I got you, sis
Wily viruses trick us
Random mutations change viral genome, variants are born
Sun rises in the east, virus produces variants!
Variant teenagers’ fads and fashions make the world colorful
Viruses try to fit in!
Random changes in genome primes evolution
Beneficial changes make virus “fit”
Sis, fitness improves endurance, ensures survival
Teens’ experimenting causing heartburn to loved ones
Scientists losing sleep over variants
Will we win arms race against SARS-CoV-2?
I wait for better vaccines
For now, no vaccines for me
Rapid mass vaccination corners the virus
Shrinks fertile ground for virus to mutate
Sis, if I get vaccine, am I killing two birds with one stone?
Am I helping others?
Yup bro! Love thy neighbour
You getting vaccine contributes to the herd immunity
No, I do not want to be a part of the herd
Sis, dad tells us think independently
Brother, herd immunity extinguishes the pandemic
Yeah, let’s repair the world
And get back to business
Vaccines for the whole world needed to break the cycle
Vasudev kutumbakam vasudev kutumbakam
No Sanskrit sis
I do not know what it means
Vasudev kutumbakam,
The world is one family
Yeah count me in,
I want to root for Tom Brady and his Ganesha
Brother, you can dance your heart out during Holi festival
All of your buddies can attend mass yoga sessions
Bring it on, vasudev kutumbakam
How can I help?
Spread the gospel of vaccinology
Let us resurrect the world from the cross of pandemic
Sis, I am not Paul, the Apostle of Grace
How can I counteract powerful voices against vaccines?
Salvation of the society by the grace of the science and technology
Magga magga
What! Sis, I know partying
Not scriptures
Magga, Buddhist path that frees from suffering
If we unite, we can end the world suffering
Both started dancing
Magga Magga
Love thy neighbour
Tikkun olam
Vasudev kutumbakam, vasudev kutumbakam
Brother summersaults
Bring it on now
I am ready to shoot naysayers
But Pavaki my dear sister, Gandhi’s non violence needs Washingtonian mettle
His son’s death from smallpox shook Ben Franklin to his core
He became a tireless evangelist for smallpox vaccine
Gods shower Pavaki with flowers
Pavaki smiles, her face glows
She braces for next battle
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