This week, we are writing on the importance of being vaccinated to prevent further spread of Covid-19. As a college, we have a responsibility in protecting our community, and research shows that the best way to combat a rapidly changing virus is through a vaccine. Here is how the vaccine works and what makes it so effective.
Firstly, let us take a look at how vaccines in general work. Vaccines teach your immune system how to create antibodies to protect you against diseases. Once your immune system knows this, it can protect you and fight against a disease for many years. Thus, it is essential to receive the Covid-19 vaccine to ensure your body is able to fight the virus in case you get infected with Covid-19 at any point.
Some people have asked why a booster is necessary – this iås due to the ever-changing virus. As we have all seen, the virus is rapidly changing and each new variant comes with its own symptoms and threat. Therefore, we need to receive booster shots for maximum protection against all variants of Covid-19.
Next, world leaders whose countries have been affected by Covid-19 have spoken about achieving herd immunity. That is – if enough people in a community are vaccinated, it is harder for the disease to spread to those that are unvaccinated or are with weaker immune systems.
Herd immunity is the end-goal of mass vaccination campaigns as it is a necessity for the majority of a population to be vaccinated in order to keep the most vulnerable members of society from getting seriously sick. As such, it is certainly a group effort to protect us all from the dangers of Covid-19.
A study by the CDC reiterates that efforts to promote the vaccine and boosters are critical in preventing Covid-19 related hospitalisations, or worse. Their study shows that the vaccine lowered the chances of being infected with Covid-19 at all. In fact, Covid-19 hospitalisations are nearly twenty times higher in those that are unvaccinated, in comparison to those that have received double doses of the vaccine and a booster. There are still Covid-19 cases amongst the vaccinated; however, the severity is far lower in those that are vaccinated than those who are not.
In short, being vaccinated and receiving booster jabs will not only protect your own health, but you will also serve the community by protecting others as well, which is vital in the much bigger, global fight against Covid-19.
