In early 2020, China noticed an outbreak of a unique, sometimes lethal, severe respiratory illness. The virus was initially identified in Hubei Province in December 2019, when a cluster of viral pneumonia cases was listed. The cause of pneumonia has been classified as a new coronavirus. The virus, first known as 2019-CoV (now known as SARS-CoV-2), caused a pandemic in China.
With tens of thousands of coronavirus infections confirmed across China, Chinese health administrators took the extraordinary action of putting roughly 60 million people under quarantine. Despite restricted quarantines, the virus stretched beyond Chinese borders and into neighboring countries.
After the outbreak in China, the COVID-19 epidemic has claimed thousands of lives worldwide, posing an unparalleled threat to public health, food systems, and the workplace. In addition, the epidemic has wreaked havoc on the economy and social system.
The COVID-19 epidemic began amid slow global commerce that has persisted since the financial crisis of 2008–2009. COVID-19’s fast spread and government efforts to contain it have had significant consequences for the world’s main economies. With extensive border restrictions, many productive operations have been hampered, initially in Asia, then in Europe, North America, and beyond.
This has resulted in a significant uptick in unemployment, particularly in the United States, as well as a drop in demand for products and services. In light of this, global GDP is expected to dwindle at its fastest rate since the Second World War in 2020.
COVID-19 is spread via the air when droplets and tiny airborne particles pollute it. Breathing them in is most vulnerable when individuals are imminent together, but they may also be breathed across greater distances, especially indoors. Transmission can also occur if you are splashed or sprayed with infected fluids, or if you get it in your eyes, nose, or mouth, or if you come into contact with contaminated surfaces. People can be infectious for up to 20 days after contracting the virus, and they can spread it even if they don’t show any symptoms.
Reasons to Get Vaccinated ASAP!
You see, the world is currently circulating in a chaos right now. With several families being restricted to stay at home are mentally being sick. The nature of being human is to be socialized, not to isolate. But the disease itself has stunned us into this very situation where an individual is being kept apart from friends, families, and duties. Psychologists say, isolation can hamper the functionality of an individual’s brain. Thus it is now quite necessary for us to go back to cafes, where we can sing along with people. The man of the house needs to go to work to feed his family. None of it is possible or suitable if you are not vaccinated. So it is your prior duty to get yourself vaccinated.
When you receive your first dose, your body commences making antibodies against the coronavirus. These antibodies boost your immune system in fighting the virus if you are exposed, lessening your risk of contracting the illness. In the United States, three vaccinations are approved for treatment, and all three are more than 70% efficient in preventing the infection.
True, you can yet get affected after getting vaccinated, but owing to something called herd immunity, your chances of getting infected are reduced even further. As a result, getting immunized not only lowers your risk of infection but it additionally accommodates safeguarding the community by lowering the risk of viral transmission.
According to a study, pregnant women who get the COVID-19 vaccination develop antibodies to the virus, which they pass on to their unborn child through the placenta. Mothers’ breast milk was also shown to transmit antibodies to their babies. This implies that those babies have some protection against the virus, which is particularly relevant given that early children are not eligible for the vaccination.
The three approved vaccinations are affirmed to be effective in evading serious disease from COVID-19 in trials. Even if you were vaccinated and contracted the virus, you are unlikely to become sick. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were shown to be 100 percent effective in avoiding serious disease in clinical studies. The Johnson & Johnson vaccination was shown to be 85 percent effective in preventing serious disease.
The vaccinations are also effective against novel variations, such as the Delta form. All three vaccinations, like the original strand, will protect you from serious disease and minimize the uncertainty of hospitalization.
According to studies, in comparison to individuals who aren’t vaccinated, vaccinated persons who become sick had mild to moderate instances of COVID-19. As a result, once you’ve been completely vaccinated, your chances of being hospitalized or dying as a result of COVID-19 are practically nil.
Post Vaccination Effects
Separating reality from fiction, like with any medicine or vaccination, is essential, and with the amount of noise surrounding the safety of COVID-19 immunizations, it’s becoming increasingly difficult.
Rumors are spreading on the internet and other media platforms that the new vaccinations can impair fertility, although there is no proof for this. Furthermore, there is no scientific reason to believe that COVID-19 vaccinations will influence fertility.
The vaccinations can’t give you COVID-19, and there’s no physiologically conceivable way for them to do so. While there have been situations of persons getting COVID-19 after taking the first dose of the vaccine, these patients most likely had the virus incubating before receiving the shot. Or they were among the diminutive number of persons who did not have an immunological response to the vaccination and were sick as a result.
Ultimately, throughout the vaccine research and regulatory clearance process, protection is crucial. Furthermore, any potential hazards are far less than those associated with COVID-19 infection, and the advantages of protecting individuals and preventing the virus from spreading greatly exceed them.
How Do I Get Vaccinated?
You may seek immunization providers in a variety of ways if you are living in the US. To begin, go to Vaccines.gov to locate immunization providers in your area. Information may be restricted in some states as additional US immunization providers and pharmacies are added. Then, to discover vaccination sites near you in the United States, text your ZIP code to 438829 or call 1-800-232-0233.
Look on the website of your local drugstore to check whether vaccination appointments are available. Check to see which pharmacies are members of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. To find out where else you may get vaccinated in your region, contact your state’s health agency. Look into your local news sources. They might be able to provide you with information on how to schedule a vaccination appointment.
If you are living in Bangladesh, visit shurokkha.com to get yourself registered for vaccination. All you require is your national identification number. Once you are done with providing all your data, the authorities will send a text to your contact number with the necessary information of the date of appointment when doses are available.
Which Vaccines Are Available?
The finest COVID-19 vaccination is the first one you can get your hands on. Don’t hold out for a certain brand. All COVID-19 vaccinations that are currently authorized and recommended are safe, effective, and lower your risk of serious disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend one vaccination over another.
The most effective vaccines that should be on your priority list are:
Pfizer – BioNTech = People aged over 12 are eligible to get this vaccine. It requires 2 doses in 21 days apart. It has a succession rate of 90% and above.
Moderna = The patient applying for this vaccine is required to be at least 18 years old. It also demands 2 doses in 28 days apart. Moderna is said to be most effective after Pfizer’s vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen = People 18 years and older are qualified to get this vaccine. It requires only one dose to create antibodies.
You should not accept the vaccination if you have ever had a severe allergic response (anaphylaxis) or an acute adverse reaction to any component in the vaccine. You may still be capable of receiving another form of COVID-19 vaccination if you have been told not to get one.
Your second shot should be given as close as feasible to the specified 3-week or 4-week interval. If required, your second shot can be given up to 6 weeks (42 days) following the first.
Verified Benefits of COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19 vaccinations were created utilizing decades-old research. Vaccines are not being tested. They completed all of the essential clinical trial phases. These vaccinations have undergone extensive testing and monitoring and have proven to be both safe and efficacious. COVID-19 vaccinations have undergone and are now undergoing the most rigorous safety testing in US history.
Vaccinate yourself, even if you’ve previously had COVID-19. In persons who have recovered from COVID-19, studies have demonstrated that immunization gives a significant increase in protection. Many activities that you conducted before the pandemic can be resumed if you are completely vaccinated with COVID-19. Except when required by federal, state, municipal, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidelines, you can continue your activities without wearing a mask or remaining 6 feet away.
Unvaccinated persons are still at risk from COVID-19. Some persons who get COVID-19 become quite sick, requiring hospitalization, while others experience long-term health issues several weeks or even months after contracting the virus. Even those who had no symptoms when they were infected might suffer from these long-term health issues.
We are still learning a lot about COVID-19 vaccinations, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is continually evaluating research and revising advice. We don’t know how long people who have been vaccinated will be protected. What we do know is that COVID-19 has caused a lot of individuals to become ill and die.
If you contract COVID-19, you run the danger of infecting family members, who might become severely ill. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best option. So get yourself vaccinated and encourage others to get vaccinated as well.
Afnan Sadaf
Contributor, The InCAP
