“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” –Thomas Edison

Railroad accidents

Train accidents aren’t as common as other transportation accidents, which perhaps is why they aren’t viewed as a major threat. Although railroads aren’t used as often as they were in centuries past, they still remain quite active. Unfortunately, when train accidents happen, they often result in serious injuries and fatalities. Train accidents can be caused by poor maintenance of trains and their equipment on the part of the train company, by inadequate or defective safety protection devices and equipment at railway crossings, and by errors made on the part of train employees and operators. All of these may be factors in any claim or lawsuit following a train accident. When this happens, obtaining compensation from the company or individual responsible can be more challenging than it should be. Nobody wants to be held liable for such a tragic accident, and their insurance company will fight tooth and nail to deny or reduce your benefits. Last week, two express trains collided in Ghotki, killing at least 30 passengers and injuring 50 others. The Millat Express derailed and the Sir Syed Express train hit it soon afterwards. Pakistan has quite a shoddy record when it comes to accidents involving trains. In the past decade, the country has witnessed a number of deadly train accidents, and they seem to have increased in frequency over the past few years. This horrific incident has yet again raised serious questions about the safety of rail travel in the country. For passengers to feel safe to travel via railway, authorities must take measures to ensure train accident prevention and railway safety. To achieve safety for railroads and railways, companies are obliged to perform everything they can to ensure the protection of the passengers, operators, pedestrians, and the public.

Hamza Khalid,
Karachi.

Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy

Almost one year after the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised the first Covid-19 vaccines, and people have started getting vaccinated. But millions of people are still very hesitant about getting one of the Covid-19 vaccines and that could be bad for them and others. Vaccine hesitancy is nothing new. Vaccines have been met with suspicion and hostility for as long as they have existed. But the question is, why aren’t people getting vaccinated? Spread of myths and misunderstandings on social media despite efforts to prevent inaccurate information from spreading is one of the reasons why people are reluctant to get vaccinated. For example, the rumour that the vaccine could affect fertility. Also, many people believe people are having “life-threatening reactions” to the vaccine that the media are not reporting. The fear of long-term side effects is another major reason. Although adverse side effects usually show up within the first two weeks, people are still afraid there might be long-term side effects to vaccines. Also, the belief that youth and good health will protect a person from the coronavirus is stopping people from getting vaccinated. The B.1.1.7 variant, which is a highly contagious strain, is hitting younger people hard. And people who have already had the virus don’t believe they need the vaccine. This is not true. Immunity from the virus does not last forever. Getting the vaccine will provide longer and stronger coverage. Some religious groups also believe that their faith will protect them. For instance, many people from the Hindu community have been relying on cow urine to get immunity from Covid-19. People need to understand that now it has become our social responsibility to get vaccinated in order to protect ourselves and others from getting the virus.

Ayesha Aijaz,
Karachi.