To vaccinate or not … that is the question!
When I think of vaccines, honestly, all sorts of things pop into my head. Will I not fall ill anyway? Will I turn into Spider-Man, or grow an extra arm?
• The editor writes:
Must I get vaccinated or not against Covid-19? That is the question …
For some, it’s a no-brainer. For others, like me, it can be a very hard decision.
When I think of vaccines, honestly, all sorts of things pop into my head. Will I not fall ill anyway? Will I turn into Spider-Man, or grow an extra arm? While this is a bit far-fetched and based on absolutely nothing but speculation, manipulation and rumours, luckily there are very clever people out there who can prove me wrong.
So let’s look at the facts. Clearly, there are benefits that come with vaccines and immunisation, and after having done my own research, I am more inclined towards getting vaccinated.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ‘Vaccines train your immune system to create antibodies, just as it does when it’s exposed to a disease. However, because vaccines contain only killed or weakened forms of germs like viruses or bacteria, they do not cause the disease or put you at risk of its complications.’
Regarding Covid-19 vaccines, the WHO says that, ‘There are three Covid-19 vaccines for which certain national regulatory authorities have authorized the use. There are many potential Covid-19 vaccine candidates currently in development.’ Visit their website www.who.int for more detail.
What about the safety of the vaccine?
The WHO explains further, ‘Once vaccines are demonstrated to be safe and efficacious, they must be approved by national regulators, manufactured to exacting standards, and distributed. WHO is working with partners around the world to help coordinate key steps in this process, including to facilitate equitable access to safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines for the billions of people who will need them.
‘Most scientists anticipate that, like most other vaccines, Covid-19 vaccines will not be 100 percent effective. WHO is working to help ensure that any approved vaccines are as effective as possible, so they can have the greatest impact on the pandemic.’
Back home, president Cyril Ramaphosa already announced in his address to the nation on Monday night, 11 January that government aims to achieve immunity across the population through a massive programme of vaccination.
According to the president, government has been engaging directly with several vaccine manufacturers for over six months and to date has secured 20 million doses to be delivered mainly in the first half of the year.
“A person who is vaccinated has a much reduced chance of becoming ill and dying from Covid-19. When enough people are vaccinated, we will reach population immunity. This amounts to around 40 million people in South Africa,” the president said.
What is your opinion? Will you take the shot? If yes, why? If not, why?
Let us know by emailing us to krugersdorpnews@caxton.co.za/ randfonteinherald@caxton.co.za.
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