Better education needed on value of Covid-19 vaccines
Dear Editor,
Upon reflecting on the gravity and challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, my thought flashed onto an analogous moment in history (1918) when an estimated one third of the world’s population were infected with the so-called Spanish flu (H1N1 Virus) that also killed about 50 million people! I ask rhetorically: “Is it possible that the Spanish flu, which experts say never disappeared, might have mutated and found expression in Covid-19 (SARS-Cov-2)?
Notwithstanding our massive scientific, medical, and technological advances since 1918, are we better prepared now than in 1918 to contain and suppress another destructive pandemic (Covid-19)? “If man/woman is the author of his/her destiny, isn’t it logical that he/she would quickly generate the force to neutralize and wipe out the Covid-19 pandemic?” I believe that the force of science, combined with the relentless quest to accomplish things that were previously thought to be impossible, would eventually prevail.
While recent evidence (e.g., the emergence of a 4th wave of Covid-19 infections with multiple variants created by mutations, and which also spreads at an alarming level to young people) suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic is spiraling out of control, that perception should not dull the passion and resilience particularly of frontline medical and allied workers to overpower this seeming threat to humanity. Amid the rising Covid-19 infection rate, there has also been developing among segments of population an attitude called vaccine “hesitancy.” Since experts say that vaccination is the best way to protect us from Covid-19 infection, then vaccine hesitancy would remove this vital layer of protection and expose those individuals to greater risk of infection, and even death.
In clinical trials conducted by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, not one person died, among a combined sample of 110,754 persons who were drawn from various age groups, ethnicity, gender, and geographic regions. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson say that their vaccines offer 100% protection against hospitalizations or deaths, compared with 97% for Moderna. Relevant data are captured in the enclosed table.
Scientists say that there is no evidence yet to show a connection between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots experienced by subjects; and they further indicate that the rate of blood clots among people who took the AstraZeneca vaccine (4.6 per 1 million) was no higher than within the normal population.
While a sizable proportion of subjects reported no reaction to the Covid-19 vaccines, the most common reaction from others was pain at injection site, fatigue and headache. Other reaction includes muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, and nausea. Serious allergic reaction to Pfizer and Moderna, Covid-19 vaccines has been minimal (3.5 cases per 1 million population). No comparable data for Johnson and Johnson are available.
The challenge to breakdown Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy is still formidable. At a popular New York City (NYC) Hospital, for example, some nurses have refused to take the Covid-19 shot, and at another NYC Hospital, it has been reported that about one half the staff had not taken the Covid-19 vaccine, thus far. My interview with health workers suggests that many of them fear that the Covid19 vaccine would alter their DNA! This attitude suggests the need for better education on the vaccines’ value.
The Guyanese community in the Greater Richmond Hill area, Queens, NYC, had one of the highest rates (18%) of Covid-19 infection during February and March 2021. Community and political leaders have been working hard not only to provide Personal Protection Equipment but also educate citizens on the immense value of vaccination. In consequence, the positivity rate has now dropped to 10.3%, but it is still high, when one compares it with the New York statewide average positivity rate of 3.37%. The expansion of Covid-19 vaccinations, combined with the observance of the Covid-19 protocols, would reduce the level of infection, and deaths. Lessons learned from NYC could apply with appropriate modification to Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Tara Singh