Neither vaccines nor coronaviruses are new
Fears are understandable, but unfounded, and can cost lives
IT IS understandable that people some people are hesitant to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
In the age of social media and mobile communication, when information on any topic is available at our fingertips, it is almost impossible to avoid misinformation.
It is all too easy for knowledge to be contested and myths to be propagated. When this happens, it can be very difficult to know what to believe and what to do.
And yet, in the case of Covid-19, the stakes could not be higher.
South Africa's local government elections are taking place on November 1. There are fears that the preceding political rallies could become “superspreader” events that usher in a fourth wave of the pandemic.
At the same time, there remains the risk that new, even more infectious variants of the novel coronavirus will emerge.
In view of this, it is of the utmost importance that we are clear about what to do when it comes to getting vaccinated.
Simply claiming that we do not have enough knowledge, or mistrust anything that comes from a scientific source, is not a good enough reason for refusing to take our place in the queue.
The Academy of Science of South Africa recently launched a booklet, Essential Facts about Covid-19: the disease, the responses, and an uncertain future.
The booklet targets South African learners, teachers and the general public, addressing in clear and simple terms all the questions we may have had about Covid-19 but were too afraid to ask.
In explaining how vaccines work, the booklet notes that the virus that causes Covid-19 is a new (or novel) virus for humanity.
Our immune systems are not familiar with the novel coronavirus, so it can “sneak” into the body without being detected by the body's defences.
It then multiplies until it is stopped by the immune system – or until it is too late to save the person's life.
Covid-19 vaccines close the gap in advance by presenting the immune system with a readily identifiable part of the novel coronavirus.
If the vaccinated person is subsequently infected with the virus, their immune system will be able to recognise the virus, and will therefore respond more quickly and effectively to neutralise it.
It should be noted that neither vaccines nor coronaviruses in general are new.
The common cold is often caused by one of the coronaviruses. As for vaccines, they have been widely and successfully used for more than a hundred years.
Their design and manufacturing processes are well established. The industry and companies that manufacture them are large and highly efficient.
How could Covid-19 vaccines have been developed so quickly? Partly, the answer lies in the fact that coronaviruses and vaccines were well understood, and partly, it lies in the scale and urgency of the situation facing the world – and the corresponding scale and urgency of the world's response.
It became clear very early on that the spread of Covid-19 constituted a global emergency.
The World Health Organization declared it a pandemic, and massive funding was made available by multiple governments and the private sector.
New drug development normally takes years, but in this case, given the intense and concentrated effort across the globe, and because various institutions, companies and countries were competing with one another, Covid-19 vaccines were produced in record time.
The vaccines were made by well-qualified people in well-resourced environments. They were thoroughly tested in the course of numerous trials.
Billions of people across the world have been vaccinated, and the vaccines have proved themselves to be safe and effective.
According to Our World in Data figures, as at September 14 this year, 42.3% of the world's population had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, a total of 5.76 billion doses had been administered globally, and approximately 33.1 million new doses were being administered every day.
Yet hardly anyone has died as a result. The conspiracy theories involving big pharmaceutical companies, the scare stories that the vaccines would lead to countless deaths, that computer chips would be inserted during vaccination to allow “them” to control the vaccinated masses, have been thoroughly debunked.
It is highly unusual for anyone to suffer adverse effects from the vaccines.
Some people may experience flulike symptoms, but these pass quickly. Any unusual side effects, such as allergic reactions, or the Guillain-Barré syndrome – a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks the nerves – can be effectively treated.
The vaccines are safe, and the vaccines work. And the vaccines may, in the long run, be the only thing that does work.
Despite the incredible speed in producing the vaccines, and their rapid roll-out in many countries, it has not been fast enough to bring the virus under control, or to stay ahead of the virus's mutations.
New variants, such as Delta, are able to spread faster than the original virus. New variants also seem to be resistant to the immunity people get from being ill with Covid-19.
It seems likely that just about everyone who has any regular contact with other people will sooner or later get the virus – and that, if you are infected, and do fall ill, the severity of your illness will ultimately depend on whether you have been vaccinated.