Covid-19 Vaccine to Save Lives and to Rebuild Better

 

Questions on Covid-19 have been lingering on people’s minds like; Can the world stop the transmission of this deadly disease, save lives and let life someday return to normal? In response, the world has come together in a coordinated effort to bring this disease to heel. The focus on developing the COVID-19 vaccine and getting it into people’s arms become one of the major priorities. 

 New vaccines against a novel coronavirus, developed at unprecedented speed, are effective and safe to take. Overall effectiveness has been reported in the range of 70% to 95%. Not only do these vaccines appear to lessen risk of developing COVID-19, but they also appear to lessen the risk of severe disease. In large clinical trials, most side effects have been minor. When side effects occur, they typically last just a few days. A side effect or reaction isn’t necessarily all bad, by the way; it may indicate that the body is building protection against the virus. Common side effects include

• pain at the site of the injection

• painful, swollen lymph nodes in the arm where the vaccine was injected

• tiredness

• headache

• muscle or joint aches

• nausea and vomiting

• fever or chills.

So far, we know COVID-19 is an unpredictable and potentially deadly disease and the information we have about the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccinations is encouraging. Minor side effects or severe allergic reactions may rarely occur. Side effects from the vaccine are not reasons for most people to avoid vaccination. As the number of vaccine recipients and the number of different vaccines grow, vigilance is warranted. What we know today about side effects and safety won’t be the last word. Volunteers in clinical trials and members of the public who have received vaccinations continue to be monitored, and are encouraged to report problems. There are pros and cons to any new medical treatment. But remember there are also pros and cons to declining treatment. The decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19 should be an easy one to be protected and to protect from each other.

Lourdes Hospital is a premier multispeciality hospital in Ernakulam, the commercial capital of Kerala. Established with speciality departments which are growing steadily, equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment and manned by trained and dedicated staff, many of whom now run training programs. We contribute to providing affordable, service oriented and patient-centered care.