Don’t relax, COVID-19 still deadly – WHO
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M– The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning that COVID-19 is still deadly and people should not let their guard down.
In a recent report, the organisation stated that there were over six million people (6 445 848) who had already died of COVID-19 related illnesses across the world.
In July 10, 2022, WHO reported 2 463 deaths of people who lost their lives through the pandemic. The virus held the world hostage, forcing nations to impose regulations to restrict human contacts in a bid to halt the spread of the disease.
“We are still learning about immunity to COVID-19 as most people who are infected with COVID-19 develop an immune response within the first few weeks, but we don’t know how strong or lasting that immune response is, or how it differs for different people. There have also been reports of people infected with COVID-19 for a second time,” said one of the doctors in the organisation’s website.
WHO revealed that older people and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer were more likely to develop serious illness. The organisation said the first known COVID-19 infections from SARS-CoV-2 were discovered in Wuhan, China. The original source of viral transmission to humans remains unclear, as does whether the virus became pathogenic before or after the spill over event
Recent research evaluated the survival of the COVID-19 virus on different surfaces and reported that the virus can remain viable for up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel, up to four hours on copper, and up to 24 hours on cardboard
Preventive measures include physical or social distancing, quarantining, and ventilation of indoor spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, hand washing, and keeping unwashed hands away from the face. The use of face masks or coverings has been recommended in public settings to minimize the risk of transmission.
Early research indicated that, compared to non-smokers, having a history of smoking may substantially increase the chance of adverse health outcomes for COVID-19 patients, including being admitted to intensive care, requiring mechanical ventilation and suffering severe health consequences.
The COVID-19 vaccine presents the body with instructions to build immunity and does not alter human cells. Vaccine reduced the morbidity and mortality of infectious diseases such as smallpox, poliomyelitis, hepatitis B, measles, tetanus, whooping cough and pneumococcal conjugate across the world.
WHO said once a person received the first shot, the body begins to produce antibodies to the coronavirus. These antibodies help the immune system fight the virus once a person gets exposed, so it reduces the chance of getting infected. There were four vaccines available for use in the United States, and they were all effective in preventing infection. “It’s true that you can still become infected after being vaccinated, but once more of the population is vaccinated, those chances are further reduced thanks to something called herd immunity. So getting vaccinated not only reduces your chance of being infected, it also contributes to community protection, reducing the likelihood of virus transmission,” said Dr Mike Ryan.
Studies have since discovered that expectant mothers who received the COVID-19 vaccine created antibodies to the virus and pass those to their unborn baby through the placenta. Mothers were also shown to pass antibodies to their newborns through breast milk. This suggests those newborns have some immunity to the virus, which was important as young children were not eligible to get the vaccine.
“During studies, the four vaccines; Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer have shown to be effective at preventing severe illness from COVID-19. So if you are vaccinated and become infected, you are very unlikely to become severely ill. The CDC tracks confirmed COVID-19 hospitalisations by vaccination status. For adults 18 and older, unvaccinated people were 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalised than fully vaccinated people. Among adolescents between ages 12-17, unvaccinated people are 2.1 times more likely to be hospitalised than fully vaccinated people,” Dr Ryan pointed out.
The Central Disease Control (CDC) tracks confirmed COVID-19 hospitalisations by vaccination status. For adults 18 and older, unvaccinated people were 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalised than fully vaccinated people. Among adolescents between ages 12-17, unvaccinated people are 2.1 times more likely to be hospitalised than fully vaccinated people.