Why should only the unvaxxed benefit from rapid tests?

Emily Writes Weekly

My six-year-old woke up this morning and yelled directly into my ear: “December 15! December 15! It’s a special day! Why is it special again?” I reminded him it is the day the borders open. “Yes! It’s Grandparents Day!”

I reminded him that just because the borders were opening it didn’t mean he’d get to see his grandparents.

Because his grandmother lives in Tauranga and is immune compromised so can’t travel safely right now. His other set of grandparents live in Tāmaki Makaurau.

And for some fucked up reason, rapid antigen tests are only available to people who have chosen not to vaccinate. Anyone trying to keep their immune compromised loved ones safe is shit out of luck.

In anticipation of hopefully seeing their grandchildren after such a long period apart, one of my kids’ grandparents went to a chemist to get their rapid antigen test. These tests give a result in less than 15 minutes. They’re perfect for families with immune compromised loved ones. In Australia, they’re used everywhere.

Unvaccinated people aged over 12 years who want to leave Auckland from 15 December 2021 to 17 January 2022 need to get one to be able to travel.

We had decided - tested and double vaxxed, with a seven hour trip by car without stopping - the grandparents from Tāmaki Makaurau would be safe to visit. They have made sacrifices like all Aucklanders, but they have made extra sacrifices too - sticking especially carefully to social distancing rules, masking absolutely everywhere, and not having their usual social life in anticipation of eventually seeing their grandchild.

They have prioritised his health over their own freedoms.

And today they were repaid for it by being told at the chemist that they couldn’t get rapid antigen tests because they did the right thing and are vaccinated. The tests are only for the unvaccinated. You can’t even pay to get them if you’re vaccinated. Only those who have chosen to not be part of the global fight against Covid 19 get them.

This decision means many, many families with immune compromised and disabled loved ones miss out. Once again.

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We are one of the many, many families in Aotearoa who have an immune compromised and medically fragile child. Our eldest boy has spent much of his life in and out of the children’s ward. I often felt in those early days of having him that I was watching people be mothers like it was a movie. I couldn’t do the things they could. I had to always prioritise the safety of my little one, my whole world.

He had periods after surgery when his immunity was good and the surgeries he had were helping him - and the world opened up. Indoor playgrounds! Indoor pools! Kindy!

Then he was diagnosed with another immune disorder.

We adjusted, adapted - we have carried masks and hand sanitiser with us well before the pandemic. Elimination was wonderful - I talked to friends with disabled and immune compromised kids who said it was the longest period without illness that their loved ones had. Because people finally stopped going out when they were sick. They finally started properly handwashing. They wore masks. It was like the world had come together to protect our most vulnerable.

Now, it feels like we are watching a movie again. Watching family reunions that we can’t take part in, watching people flood bars and restaurants while we can’t - and worst of all, we are doing it with the soundtrack of anti-vaxx and anti-mandate people claiming that their freedom has been taken away.

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We spent the morning on speakerphone trying to work out what this means. Should they go to a testing centre where there’s people who have symptoms of Covid 19 or other viruses? Will this place too much of a burden on testing centres? Should they say they’re unvaccinated? Surely they’ll be able to tell they’re vaccinated by looking up on the system? Should we just hope it will be OK? That was ruled out as a risk that they didn’t want to take - what would it be like to be a grandparent who passed on a deadly virus to a child who was already so fragile?

My child’s other grandparent who they see every weekend will be travelling the other way to see her other grandbabies. Without a rapid test, she will also have to work out whether to go to a testing centre or not before seeing our son for Christmas.

My child’s grandparent in Tauranga can’t travel anywhere, she is on immune-suppressants and as such had her third vaccine. We can’t visit her because we can’t travel. She recently lost her father and couldn’t attend his funeral. I couldn’t comfort her and we know reuniting can only happen when our sons are vaccinated for her protection and ours. January is close, but it feels like a lifetime away.

So while anti-vaxxers and anti-mandates crow about their freedom, and my son misses another school event because they let unvaccinated people attend - we go back to life invisible.

And I try to work out what to tell my kids when they ask why they can’t see their grandparents at Christmas.

We won’t be marching and screaming about this. To be honest, we just don’t have the energy between constant wake ups all night to give life-saving treatments and constant medical appointments. We’ll just get on with life as we always have.

December 15 is just like any other shitty day.