The Pandemic Situation, Vaccine Dilemma, Over or Yet?
Like every mature person in the world, I’m sure you are also concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic situation. After 16 months of the first infection in China, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected almost 160 million, killing nearly 3.5 million people. Most of the governments of the world chose the ‘Delay and Vaccinate’ method to tackle the virus meaning they bought time by slowing the spread of the virus (through Lockdowns, Quarantining, Social Distancing and Preventive Health Measures) to buy time and vaccinate around 40–90% of the population. But up until now, only 5–10% of the world population have been vaccinated and nobody can tell certainly when the pandemic will end. But some simple points let us estimate the timeline of this pandemic so let’s talk about those, shall we?
The pandemics have two endpoints- ‘Herd Immunity’ and ‘Transition toward normalcy’ and they may look different in different geographical regions. ‘Herd or Community Immunity’ means enough people in the community are resistant or immune to the virus to prevent widespread transmission. Herd immunity will represent a more definitive end to the pandemic in that region. Isolated cases of infection may still occur, the virus may continue to circulate for months but population-wide public health measures can be phased out. Some factors are likely to drive herd immunity timelines e.g. prevalence of novel strains, natural immunity, vaccine courses secured, consumer vaccine sentiment, supply chain readiness, etc. Only after acquiring herd immunity, the transition toward normalcy may happen slowly in the collective lifestyle of a society. Not everybody can resume all of their pre-pandemic activities, rather there should be a noticeable shift toward more of them.
Well, some recent developments may also impact the timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the vaccine rollout is improving and more effective vaccines are coming along with the acceleration of the massive inoculation programs. According to recent reports, a significant transition toward normalcy may occur in Europe and the US through the third or fourth quarter of 2021. As for the rest of the world, new cases and deaths are still high in some regions. For example, in the Indian subcontinent, the magnitude of COVID-19 cases from last year to now is vastly different and the death toll is gaining a new high every day due to the double mutant variant, B1.1.7.Strong public-health measures will remain critical to saving lives during this period in this region.
Should we take or not take the vaccine right now? Good vaccine or Bad vaccine? These are some of the questions that may lead to misinformed beliefs in people’s minds. Skepticism and hesitancy toward the vaccine pose a huge threat to global public health. Along with strictly maintaining the general public health measures announced by WHO(Wear masks, Wash your hands regularly, keep a safe distance) we should take the COVID-19 vaccine when offered regardless of the efficacy of that vaccine. Remember, the vaccine, whatever the efficacy, doesn’t always prevent you from getting covid but once the vaccine is given enough time in your body it creates adaptive immunity. Adaptive immunity occurs after exposure to an antigen either from a pathogen or a vaccination. If you are infected with coronavirus even after taking the vaccine, the blood cells will be ready for the virus by creating immunological memory and strategically mounting an immune response toward the specific virus and this could save your life. So, whenever you get the chance just take the shot!
