Anti-vaccine sentiment is evident on every platform. The Australian government won the battle, which most recently erupted when Djokovic practically raised the flag at the Australian Open, by court order, and Djokovic was deported from Australia after 10 days. For some reason, the tournament he was deported from was won by Nadal, who was vying to become the greatest tennis player of all time.
Nadal openly criticized Djokovic in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying, “Everyone is free. But the truth is, if you belong to a community, you must follow its rules. Therefore, if vaccination is made mandatory for safe travel, Djokovic must also be vaccinated if he wants to continue playing tennis at the highest level.” You can read the related news at https://tr.sputniknews.com/20200508/nadaldan-asi-karsiti-djokovice-net-yanit-tenis-oynamaya-devam-etmek-istiyorsa-asi-olmak-zorunda-1041995198.html .
Djokovic’s pharmaceutical investment
Meanwhile, it was revealed that Djokovic owns an 80% stake in a Danish company developing a drug against Covid-19. The biotechnology company, QuantBioRes, announced that Djokovic acquired the shares in June last year.
The company’s CEO, Ivan Loncarevic, described himself as an ‘entrepreneur’ and said they were working on developing a peptide that prevents the coronavirus from infecting human cells and aim to begin clinical trials this summer. Loncarevic’s emphasis that they were ‘working on a drug, not a vaccine’ was noteworthy. Loncarevic stated that they worked with dozens of researchers from Denmark, Australia, and Slovenia, but declined to disclose how much Djokovic paid for the shares he purchased in June. According to Reuters research, Djokovic holds a 40.8% stake in the company, while his wife, Jelena, holds a 39.2% stake. Personally, I find it insincere for Djokovic to invest in such a venture. I’m sharing the news report on this topic with you: https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/asi-karsiti-tenisci-novak-djokovicin-covid-yatirimi-ifsa-oldu-haber-1549954
Antipathy Growing with Anti-Vaccination
I previously wrote an article about the GOAT (greatest of all time) rivalry between Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/tenisin-gelmis-gecmis-en-buyugu-kim-olacak. In that article, I wrote that Federer was my favorite of the trio, that I also liked and supported Nadal, and that Djokovic had the most disliked and unexampled personality of the three. Djokovic solidified his antipathic image after this vaccine crisis. From now on, I recommend he get vaccinated and focus on his tennis career. Otherwise, it seems unlikely they’ll be able to participate in major tournaments until the Covid-19 pandemic is completely over.
Anti-vaccine sentiment is boundless. In fact, it’s reached such a pitch that there’s even been talk of them forming a political party. Here’s the news that Hacı Ali Özhan, a lawyer working as a notary in Kırıkkale, will submit the founding petition for the Impositionless Life Party (DYP) to the Ministry of Interior: https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/asi-karsitlari-parti-kuruyor-1882226
Those who oppose vaccines constitute the vast majority. In fact, this polarization has reached such a point that anti-vaccine advocates are being subjected to harsh, sometimes insulting, rhetoric. Here are the articles written on Ekşi Sözlük about the topic titled “The IQ of Anti-Vaccinationists:” https://eksisozluk.com/asi-karsitlarinin-zeka-seviyesi–6946386
“Claims of Anti-Vaccinationists and the Facts”
While I find some of the articles on Ekşi Sözlük on this topic excessive, I agree with the well-written comments. Of course, there’s also a scientific aspect to this. Here’s an article from the Turkish Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases titled “Claims of Anti-Vaccinationists and the Facts,” which responds to some of the statements made by anti-vaccine advocates: https://www.klimik.org.tr/2021/08/04/asi-karsitlarinin-iddialari-ve-gercekler/
Another dimension to the issue is the mandatory use of vaccinations. I’d like to share the news that Austria has made vaccination compulsory for the first time in Europe: https://bianet.org/bianet/toplum/256556-avrupa-da-ilk-avusturya-dan-zorunlu-covid-19-asisina-onay . Although there’s been considerable debate about mandatory vaccination, I believe Austria has taken the right step in this regard. While Austria’s decision has been criticized, I believe it should be followed as an example.
Those who say, “It’s my right to choose whether to vaccinate or not,” forget that they live in a society and must abide by its rules, especially in matters of vital importance like health. To those anti-vaxxers who are clearly selfish, interpret science to their own advantage, and believe in false information, I want to say this:
“Your right to choose ends when you threaten the health of the people in your community.”
Bonus:
This is an example of the mind-boggling actions anti-vaccine activists are organizing worldwide. A state of emergency has been declared in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, due to a 10-day trucking protest. Here’s that news: Kanada’da kamyoncu protestosu: Başkent Ottawa’da olağanüstü hal ilan edildi | Euronews
Tag: memoir
