Leaders speak
Orado Sarkis, religious leader at the Armenian Church in Abu Dhabi, said he chose to vaccinate in order to live safely and protect the community.
“Vaccination is something we must do so that the community can lead a normal life. The church’s parishioners, the church and communities across the world, everyone has their own responsibilities … This vaccine has been [proven] to be safe. I don’t know why some people are hesitant and worried about getting the vaccination since [it] has been scientifically proven to be effective for all ages. For me, I have come of my own free will to vaccinated in order to be an example for my parish so that we can live in a safe and virus-free community,” Sarkis said.
Essential step
“I have chosen to get vaccinated because I have a moral responsibility towards the community. This vaccine is a unique experience. We must act responsibly and raise our children to be responsible. Accordingly, we must take a joint humanitarian step by heading to the nearest vaccination centre to get vaccinated. In case of any mild side effects, these are easily treatable; the vaccine is safe and this historic gesture from the UAE will never be forgotten as it has offered this vaccine for free and very quickly to all segments of the community in order to have a safe haven for everyone living in the UAE,” said F. Bishoy A D Emad, religious leader at the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church.
Community responsibility
“We believe in medicine and we believe that God gave us knowledge. With that in mind, we encourage everyone to get vaccinated so that we can live in a safe and healthy community. We have chosen to vaccinate because of our responsibility towards the community. We haven’t seen any other country offering the vaccine for free to all community members and so fast, and by taking such brave and pioneering steps. I do believe that if a large number of people get vaccinated, life will go back to normal, God willing, and this motivates us to contribute to every effort that benefits the community,” Abdullah said.
Step towards normality
“I choose the vaccine because it is a must as this [pandemic spreads all over the world]. The spread of COVID-19 is [continuing to spread everywhere]. To control [this], the vaccine is needed and all … should take the vaccine. [Our community members] are all aware of this, and we are [encouraging them to get the vaccine]. We are also [making announcements] in the church after services, and [spreading the message] through social media, in addition to coordinating [with authorities to organise vaccination drives]. By getting the vaccine, everything becomes normal. You can move freely, go anywhere and the virus [can be] eradicated,” Mathew said.
Preventive measures
In addition to encouraging residents to vaccinate, health authorities in Abu Dhabi also stressed the need to keep up protective measures, including mask wearing, regular handwashing and social distancing.
Original news source Credit: gulfnews.com
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