18,000 people on P.E.I. have chosen not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Here's one.

Dennis Trainor knows his decision to remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 has consequences. 

As an actor and comedian, it means he can't attend concerts, movies or other events in the arts community he serves. He can't sit down in a restaurant to have a meal.

It's affected his relationship with friends and family. 

"The division between families, friends is very apparent," Trainor said. "Personally, yeah, I've felt that."

Nonetheless, Trainor is among roughly 18,000 eligible people on P.E.I. who have chosen not to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. He has been among the people protesting outside the P.E.I. Legislature and the CBC building in Charlottetown against the loss of freedoms related to COVID-19 restrictions.

But it's wrong, he said, to label him and others as "anti-vaxxers" for questioning the process. He believes vaccines can work, and was vaccinated as a child. 

For the COVID-19 vaccine, he's still wading through what he calls the "quagmire of information versus misinformation" and isn't yet comfortable making the decision to get the jab.

"What's the rush?" he said. "It comes down to, really, an intuitive choice… freedom of choice."

Worldwide, more than 5 million people have died from COVID-19.

According to the World Health Organization, the COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved are safe and effective. However, it notes that research is still ongoing into how much vaccines protect not only against disease but also against infection and transmission.

Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.'s chief public health officer, and many other medical professionals strongly encourage all eligible people to get both recommended doses of an authorized vaccine. P.E.I. has had a total of 319 positive cases since the pandemic began, with no deaths and only two hospitalizations.

According to data provided by Health P.E.I., people who are unvaccinated made up 79 per cent of the COVID-19 cases in 2021.

Trainor said he would rather rely on his immune system or explore other alternatives rather than accept the vaccine.  

He said he can live with public health restrictions for now. His actor's income doesn't allow him to dine in at restaurants much anyway, and though some people in the arts world may not reach out as often as they once did, he is still finding work online.