By Andrin Bar, Editor
FINALE: Inoculation is on its way, here’s what you need to know.
Most people are sick of hearing about the pandemic. I myself have stayed at home since March 13th, 2020, so I completely understand this line of thinking. However, though I am sure most are sick of hearing about it, it is important to stay informed, as the vaccines against covid are currently being given out, and it may be useful to answer a few questions you may have about the vaccine now, so that we can make sure everyone gets vaccinated and we can end this pandemic once and for all.
– Sun Tzu, The Art of War. Well, here is your enemy. Source of picture here
First of all, there is quite a bit of concern and misinformation regarding the safety of these vaccines. Now, it is understandable that you may be concerned, after all, we have all heard about how long it typically takes for a vaccine to be accepted onto the market, with some taking as long as 29 years to be produced since the start of a disease, whereas we discovered Covid-19 in January of 2020 and began vaccinating December of that same year. However, the speed with which the covid-19 vaccine was developed is not a result of cutting corners, but instead the result of heavy investment into testing, production and studying. As Dr Fauci said in an interview on The Carlos Watson Show “This is the fastest we’ve ever developed a vaccine. We’ve done in less than a year what normally would have taken several. Was that reckless speed and is that dangerous? The answer to that is absolutely not, because the speed is merely a reflection of extraordinary advances in vaccine platform technology.” What is important to understand about the Covid-19 vaccine is when and why it was produced. The Covid-19 pandemic is still devastating the entire world. Economies have collapsed, people have lost jobs, and many know that the second this pandemic ends, they will be kicked out of their housing because they were unable to pay rent. Yes, people worked fast, understandably, to produce a vaccine, but that doesn’t mean they did not comply with the CDC’s testing requirements. All available vaccines against Covid-19 in the USA have been approved by the CDC and have gone through rigorous testing requirements, which include numerous safety forms and numerous clinical trials with three phases. In all phases, though in different quantities, voluntary subjects were randomly selected to receive a covid vaccine, or a placebo. These subjects were then exposed to Covid-19. Currently, the two vaccines that are available widely, Moderna’s NIAID and Pfizers BioNTech vaccine, both went through this rigorous testing process, succeeding in all three phases of the clinical trials, and Pfizer’s vaccine has shown to be 95% effective, with Moderna’s being 94.1% effective.
The second issue we need to address is the issue of virus mutation. As you may have heard, there are multiple strains of Covid-19. Currently, there is the “generic” Covid strain, as well as one that is found in the UK, and one that is found in South Africa. As of right now, the vaccines we have still work against these two strains, though with slightly reduced efficiency, particularly in the South African strain, which appears to be more adept at dodging antibodies in the bloodstream. This does not mean that the vaccine doesn’t work, it just means that you may experience mild symptoms, rather than the full covid deal. However, the end result is hopefully going to be the same, full immunity to covid. Hearing that the covid-19 virus can mutate may lead some to rightfully question whether the virus could mutate to be immune to vaccines. This is, unfortunately, a genuine concern. Much like how the flu requires annual vaccination in order to be fully effective, Covid-19 may require the same if we are not effective at stopping it early. That is why we need as many people to vaccinate as possible. The vaccine so far has only been tested in people aged 16 and up, as pregnant women and young children have weakened immune systems, and in the highly unlikely event that a vaccine has side effects, it would not be ethical to test the vaccine in these people. However, this does not mean that vaccines have side effects. In very rare cases, children may have adverse side effects, including rashes, swelling, or other issues related to vaccines. However, you will typically see the parents of these children become some of the biggest pro-vaccination demonstrators out there, because if their child can’t get a vaccine, they need to ensure herd immunity in the people around them, ensuring their child will not get sick.
The greatest threat that anti-vaccination groups will play up concerning vaccines is the supposed link between vaccines and autism. In truth, this link was proposed in one paper, published in 1998, that supposedly linked the MMR vaccine with Autism. That paper has since been retracted, and every one of the scientists that helped with it has either retracted their statements, or been dishonoured. Since this study, thousands have been carried out, all of which were unable to find any link between MMR, or any other vaccine, and autism. So how did this paper find the link? Well, the selection of participants was no random chance. In fact, the researchers selectively picked children who had autism. But this paper was extremely dangerous. Parent’s stopped vaccinating, and appalling, measles outbreaks became a lot more common. Measles was often deadly. Look, parents, I understand that you want to care for your children. After all, becoming a parent is a massive change, and an even greater responsibility. But if you care for your child, and want to stop them from getting sick, give them the vaccines they require.
I personally am terrified of vaccines. My body has a very strong reaction to them, giving me chills and making me otherwise uncomfortable. But even I get vaccinated, and that should mean something. Vaccines are one of mankind’s greatest creations. They have helped end diseases and saved millions of lives. If Sun Tzu says “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting” in The Art of War, then vaccines embody this to their fullest. Why fight Covid-19 and risk defeat, death, and injury? Get the vaccine, and we don’t have to fight anymore. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is the power one disease can have over the world. This is not the first, nor will it be the last pandemic the world faces. But now that we are almost at the end of this hellish rollercoaster, let’s toast to the healthcare workers who kept us safe, with a shot of Covid vaccine.
To learn more about COVID-19, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html