By Henry Owino
Nairobi, Kenya: Scientists and Researchers across the globe agree that vaccination prevents one from severe Covid infections and possibly premature death.
In one accord, they assert Covid-19 Vaccines are safe and effective having gone through the three stages of mandatory research trials requirements and ratified by World Health Organization (WHO) for public intake.
Covid-19 vaccines are said to have been attained in a record time compared to any other vaccines ever been produced globally. Scientists explained this is a reality due to their teamwork, basing their research work on already existing vaccines research from previous deadly diseases and global urgency need.
These remarks were made by Alfonce Angira, Epidemiologist and Research Officer at KEMRI Centre for Global Health Research during a zoom meeting with Science Journalists organized by Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA).
He explained scientists worked so hard around the clock to come up with a vaccine that would boost body immune systems against the virus. This was besides coming up with containment measures put across to prevent the virus spread while vaccine trials were on course.
Angira pointed out to date, there are a number of vaccines in the market just to mention but a few are AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik among others.
“Vaccines are known for preventing severe diseases and Covid vaccine are no exception meant to play the important role in to taming the severity of Covid-19 infections. Before the vaccines came in place, people infected with Covid had narrow chances of surviving compared to the current situation,” Angira asserted.
The severity of sickness was as result of naiveness by experts about the coronavirus hence killing more people especially in western world. To date, vaccines are playing critical role in saving many lives.
The Epidemiologist stated that people who have received the Covid-19 vaccination are safer compared to non-vaccinated population. They may contract the virus but not severe illness as the vaccine recognizes the disease causing germ and responds by fighting it.
Currently, at least every country across the world have received the vaccines through Covax and other private arrangements. Though not every country have successfully vaccinated its citizens, there are myriad challenges being experienced that need urgent attention.
Angira raised the concern of Covid-19 Variants that have emerged with speculations and misconceptions spreading in social media platforms that current vaccines are unable to stop it. So far known variants are Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, Lambda, Epilson among other several variants that continues to emerge.
“Vaccines are not 100 percent perfect in preventing virus but work to certain percentage level in preventing people from spreading virus and getting to severe sickness. For example, moderna is 92percent effective while Johnson & Johnson 85 percent,”Angira clarified.
The Research Officer explained concerning variants, they are named differently as it evolves from the origin virus to its descendants. They may first be detected in a particular country from origin virus form thus mutating to another form thereby varying its status hence the name variant.
He affirmed that the variants have been discovered as insignificant by WHO Virus Evolution Group therefore no cause of panic in containing it. The vaccines in the market are appropriately effective enough to combat the varying forms (variants) as the virus remains the same apart from changing its formulations.
The Scientist encourages people to welcome the vaccines by accepting to take vaccination to attain the hard immunity. He explained hard immunity of vaccination is rated at 70 percent of the population vaccinated.
To achieve the hard immunity, every citizen must make every efforts to be vaccinated. Those who had received first round of AstraZeneca should take the second round after period of 8-12 weeks. This could be so by shunning misinformation and negative perception about the vaccines.
However, Angira clarified for those opting for a different vaccine apart from the one they had received in round one, we be advised appropriately by experts. In his own opinion, he encouraged it, saying it would provide much better protection for strong immunity against the virus.
