"The virus is not differentiating between anyone, then why are we?": Somy Ali

Somy Ali encourages everyone to get vaccinated as that will help us curb the growth of the virus. In India, vaccination drive started frontline workers and elders and then those aged above 45 was allowed. Now, people in the age group of 18-44 are eligible for the vaccine. The former actor, who quit Bollywood to start her NGO No More Tears in Miami, US, is worried about the vaccination shortage in India and hopes things to get resolved soon.

Somy feels there should have been open vaccination for everyone since the beginning. “This is blatant age discrimination and the fact that anyone with clout can access the vaccine while the powerless suffer is sad. The virus is not differentiating between anyone, then why are we? It is highly contagious and we must deal with it accordingly,” he says.

Somy has been vaccinated. “It was a two-shot simple process for me with the Pfizer vaccine. The statistics show that over 53% of individuals have been vaccinated in the city of Miami. There are options for people to pre-register for the vaccine. I am more than optimistic in reference to the availability of the vaccine with the Biden (US President Joe Biden) administration in charge. The previous administration has a lot of blood on their hands,” she says.

If there is one thing that the actor-turned-humanitarian has learned from this pandemic is that it would definitely have to be how little control we have when it comes to life and death.

“Another aspect is how maintaining healthy lifestyle habits are not just good for us, but now a mandatory requirement. I believe we have all realized the value of life and health in the midst of this pandemic. Unfortunately, we have also learned how easy things are for the rich and powerful while countless individuals have lost their lives,” she adds.

Reacting to the global meltdown that led a crashing blow to the world economy, many people losing jobs, and how the times are affecting our collective mental health, Somy says that “it is devastatingly sad and perhaps the scariest time for all generations on this planet”.

She continues, “All of us have been impacted by this virus, both emotionally and financially. The virus does not discriminate, however, the governments and people with power do. I also believe that many of us refused to accept the seriousness and deadliness of the scenario. Many of us did not abide by the lockdown rules and the necessity of sanitization and wearing masks with proper social distancing. There are several factors to ponder on why and how we are where we are today. As a human rights activist and with my work, I have never witnessed so much abuse in 14 years of running my NGO. It has been an unprecedented time for No More Tears with the growing call volume for help, be it domestic violence or human trafficking.”