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Vaccines are to heal, not to kill

Published : Saturday, 6 February, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 554
ZUBAIR KHALED HUQ
ZUBAIR KHALED HUQ

ZUBAIR KHALED HUQ

Vaccines to prevent coronavirus disease are perhaps the best hope for ending the pandemic. If we want to know the facts about COVID-19 vaccines, here is what you need to know about the benefits of getting vaccinated. COVID-19 can cause severe medical complications, which can be short or long term, and lead to death in some people. There is no way to know how the coronavirus will affect you. If you get infected by this virus, you could spread the disease to family, friends and others around you. As we already know, all of us want to avoid it. To do that vaccination is our best possible hope, of course with maintaining social distancing.  

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine can help protect you by creating an antibody response in your body without your having to become sick with the virus. A COVID-19 vaccine might prevent you from the virus.  If you get COVID-19, the vaccine might keep you from becoming seriously ill or from developing serious complications. Getting vaccinated also might help protect people around you from COVID-19, particularly people at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.    

Can a COVID-19 vaccine give you the disease? Answer to this is no. The COVID-19 vaccines currently being developed do not use the live virus that causes the disease. We should keep in mind that it takes a few weeks for your body to build immunity after getting a COVID-19 vaccination. As a result, it is possible that you could become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or after being vaccinated. Of course, if you are infected again with the virus it may cause infection. It is not due to the vaccination itself. Someone can unluckily get the virus, after the vaccination but before the antibody titre has gone up, doesn't mean the vaccine is not working. It will definitely weaken the virus, and reduce the morbidity.

What are the possible side effects of a vaccine? A vaccine can cause mild side-effects after the first or second dose, including pain, redness or swelling where the shot was given, fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills and joint pain. We have seen one to two per cent in our country getting some side-effects. Though it is already tackled well, we should not be afraid. Rather some minor reaction proves the vaccine is working properly.    

You will likely be monitored for thirty minutes after getting a COVID-19 vaccine to see if there has an immediate reaction. Most side effects happen within the first three days after vaccination and typically last only one to two days. The vaccine may cause side effects similar to signs and symptoms of the disease.  For tackling the minor side effects, a team will be ready in every vaccination centre.

If you have been exposed to COVID-19 and you develop symptoms more than three days after getting vaccinated or the symptoms last more than two days, self-isolate and get tested. Can I get a vaccine if I have a history of allergic reactions? If you have a history of severe allergic reactions not related to vaccines or injectable medications, you may still get a vaccine. You should be monitored for 30 minutes after getting the vaccine. If you have had an immediate allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable medications, ask your doctor if you should get a vaccine. If you have an immediate allergic reaction after getting the first dose of a vaccine, do not get the second dose.   

Can pregnant or breastfeeding women get the vaccine? There is no research on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant or breastfeeding women. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits. Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine even if I have already had COVID-19? Getting the coronavirus might offer some natural protection or immunity from re-infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. But it is not clear how long this protection lasts.  Because re-infection is possible and coronavirus can cause severe medical complications, it is recommended that people who have already had COVID-19 get a vaccine also. If you have had COVID-19, you might delay vaccination until 90 days after your diagnosis.

Vaccines are to heal, not to kill. If someone falls within the criteria should take the first opportunity to get a shot. Please make sure you get the second shot right along with the schedule. Possibly within two months. Once more people get vaccinated there will be a rush for it to get quickly. The vaccine we are using is from oxford and made as per their standard protocol by serum institute, India.      

The world has completed history's fastest development of a new vaccine. The vaccines for COVID-19 are said to be safe. Will life be the same after vaccination? The new vaccines will probably prevent you from getting sick with COVID-19. No one knows yet whether they will keep you from spreading the virus to others but that information is coming. The new COVID-19 vaccine leaves the possibility that some vaccinated people can get infected without developing symptoms, due to lack of antibody titre, and could then silently transmit the virus especially if they come in close contact with others or stop wearing masks. If vaccinated people are silent spreaders of the virus, they may keep it circulating in their communities, putting unvaccinated people at risk. So wearing masks shall be the top priority.     

It seems if vaccination begins, it shall have to have the policy of vaccinating, all not leaving anyone behind--probably phase by phase. A lot of people are thinking that once they get vaccinated, they are not going to wear masks anymore. It is really going to be critical for them to know that they have to keep wearing masks because they could still be contagious. The rule of new normal life has to be maintained diligently.   

So, it will be a little longer until vaccinated individuals can let their guard down. Even after you get your two shots of vaccination, you should wear a mask and avoid crowds and situations where you could spread the virus to a lot of other people. To protect yourself from the virus, you should get vaccinated. We should understand vaccination is not protective, it is preventive. Even if you are vaccinated it shall take months to get immunity, before that we should use all other ways and means to be protected, otherwise even after one-shot who knows you might infect others, unknowingly.      

All the vaccine has good potential; we have to look for better efficacy. The vaccine which we are using fits with our atmosphere, since the temperature in which it maintains its efficacy is easy for our country to make. So we can expect the best possible result with this than with other vaccines which are more temperature-sensitive.
Dr Zubair Khaled Huq Family Medicine, Gerontology, Public Health Specialist








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