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Is vaccinating the world the answer to the end of the COVID pandemic?

HealthIs vaccinating the world the answer to the end of the COVID pandemic?

Some countries and states in India too on a massive vaccine drive have seen a reduction in COVID-19 related deaths, so is vaccine the answer?

Just a few examples of countries and Indian states doing better after vaccines:

The United Kingdom was initially severely struck with COVID-19 in February 2020 with over 100 thousand deaths, at one point thousands a day. The UK went on a massive vaccination drive, with 60% vaccinated and death rates have dropped down to 1 digit.

While cases have increased by 6 percent from the average two weeks ago, deaths have decreased by 44 percent.  In the USA, last year did not move on an intense vaccine drive, and like India, over 4000 and more were dying daily, but now with half the population vaccinated, the death rates are down to 200 a day, a little more, a little less. It is said that many did not believe the pandemic was real and were suspicious of the vaccines.

Raipur: Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh, Congress government has borne the cost of vaccinations vaccinating the people at their own expense since the Center refused to provide vaccines to Chhattisgarh. Under CM Baghel with his massive vaccination drive, there was a huge drop in COVID numbers, and all industries are running, with COVID sanitization and guidelines.

In heavily populated Maharashtra, under Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, under a very concentrated hard networking, Maharashtra was initially on top with the highest number of vaccinations and now tally crosses the 2.1 crore mark with a remarkable drop in deaths. Maharashtra initially was severely afflicted with the virus, Mumbai being the financial capital with international inroads.  The situation was grim with uncontrollable hospital infrastructure collapsing but is now under excellent control.

The Uttar Pradesh government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is reported to have intensely increased the vaccination jab which is good because UP is the most densely populated state in India.

How does the vaccine work?

The world has benefitted from vaccines over the ages preventing over six million deaths yearly.  Polio was eradicated from India due to vaccines, as well as the smallpox vaccine, the yellow fever vaccine, which triggers long-lasting immunity in 99% of vaccinated individuals; and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which not only inhibits cervical cancer in women who take it but prevents vaccinated individuals from transmitting the virus.

Vaccines protect individuals from disease, others can also stop transmission in the wider population by preventing the underlying pathogens from being passed between individuals such as the vaccinia vaccine which eradicated smallpox.

These vaccines trigger the production of antibodies that bind to invading viruses and prevent them from entering cells and replicating. If a virus cannot gain a foothold in the body and reproduce, it will not be transmitted to other people. This is called sterilizing immunity.

For coronavirus, eradication isn’t necessary as in other viruses, it may happen or may not, but the key here is vaccinating as many people as possible so our lives return back to normal.

For coronavirus, eradication isn’t necessary as in other viruses, it may happen or may not, but the key here is vaccinating as many people as possible so our lives return back to normal.

Herd immunity:

However, not all vaccines operate in the sterile immunity way. Some, such pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine, stop people from developing symptoms of the disease and dying from it, but they can still carry the pathogen and transfer it to others. Such vaccines still provide important protection for individuals, but a great proportion of the population must be vaccinated to protect those who can’t or won’t be vaccinated (herd immunity).

Such vaccines still provide important protection for individuals, but a great proportion of the population must be vaccinated to protect those who can’t or won’t be vaccinated (herd immunity).

If a vaccine doesn’t prevent transmission, there is a feasibility that immunized people could unwittingly pass SARS-CoV-2 to those who cannot be vaccinated, or whose immune systems are too weak to generate a protective response. Without high levels of immunization – a daunting task, especially when initial stocks of vaccine are likely to be limited – such people could remain at high risk.

In April, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report explaining what an ideal vaccine against COVID-19 would look like, as well as its vision of a minimally acceptable one. Ideally, any COVID-19 vaccine would achieve at least 70% efficacy – meaning a 70% reduction in the incidence of disease in a vaccinated population, compared to an unvaccinated one – with consistent results in older people and immunity lasting for at least a year.

As a bare minimum, any vaccine should obtain 50% efficacy, and protect people for at least six months.

Vaccines protect communities by depriving a virus of the one thing it can’t do without which is hosts.

The structure of viruses is typically very minute parasites that poke inside your cells, take them prisoner, and form countless viral copies that spew out of infected cells, often destroying them in the process. And then they repeat that process again and again.  If enough people have been vaccinated or recovered from the infection, that leaves fewer places for a virus to go, eventually breaking the cycle of transmission. And that point is known as herd immunity.

The structure of viruses is typically very minute parasites that poke inside your cells, take them prisoner, and form countless viral copies that spew out of infected cells, often destroying them in the process. And then they repeat that process again and again.  If enough people have been vaccinated or recovered from the infection, that leaves fewer places for a virus to go, eventually breaking the cycle of transmission. And that point is known as herd immunity.

Herd immunity doesn’t just help the vaccinated; it benefits those who have not received their shots too, or who’ve been inoculated but didn’t garner enough strong immune response. That’s because these people, who are still vulnerable to COVID-19, are now mostly in contact with immune individuals, who are far less likely to spread the virus.

Herd immunity doesn’t just help the vaccinated; it benefits those who have not received their shots too, or who’ve been inoculated but didn’t garner enough strong immune response. That’s because these people, who are still vulnerable to COVID-19, are now mostly in contact with immune individuals, who are far less likely to spread the virus.

“That person who is in the herd but didn’t perhaps get the vaccine or get the full protection from the vaccine, they’re also protected because the herd is protected,” said Dr. Davey Smith, UCSD’s chief of infectious disease research.

“These aren’t hypothetical, far-off benefits of vaccination. They’re already happening and have helped get us to a point where, on Monday, the county reported just 47 new cases, the lowest count since April 2020” he said.

Problems faced by the world:

The world frantically needs a vaccine to end the pandemic, but to achieve this, it must protect the many, and not just a few.

In a fast bid to end the pandemic, it will be crucial to explore all vaccine candidates and ensure that those with a greater potential to protect the wider population do not fall by the wayside. For this reason, some immunologists are calling for vaccine trial participants to be assessed for how abundantly they shed and spread the virus, in addition to how protected they are against COVID-19.

However, the vaccine rollout now is far too slow. In the USA, since the start of the vaccine rollout, health public officials have emphasized that immunizing enough of the population would eventually stop the spread of the coronavirus. It is said that every day, an online dashboard tracks San Diego County’s progress toward that goal.

Many experts including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert said that it is even possible that we’ll never quite reach herd immunity. But they also say that continuing to vaccinate as many people as possible, as soon as possible will allow us to live alongside the virus safely by making infections less frequent and less severe.

Many experts including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert said that it is even possible that we’ll never quite reach herd immunity. But they also say that continuing to vaccinate as many people as possible, as soon as possible will allow us to live alongside the virus safely by making infections less frequent and less severe.

Ending the pandemic is very possible but needs united global efforts:

  1.  Top financing towards making vaccines, making the process easy, and then transferring them.
  2. Widespread testing, genomic surveillance, shedding studies, trials to be under survey, scaling up lab studies, sufficient therapeutics, public health measures, and preparation for vaccine deployment.
  3. Drop restrictions and red-tapism which jeopardize vaccine access across nations.
  4. Donate surplus vaccines depending on the country’s needs.  America projects at least 500 million vaccine courses (equivalent to around 1 billion doses) can be donated in 2021. It again depends on each nation and its capacity.
  5. All plans should be prepared with the participation of vaccine developers, multilateral agencies, manufacturers, and key national governments.
  6.  COVID norm precautions should not be dropped because it takes three months between the first and the second vaccine to be really efficacious so one must be careful even after being vaccinated still avoiding heavy crowds and making in public places.

7. Organize a special task force in each state of the country and a Central task force to tackle COVID in harmony with the state task force warriors.  This would include experts, scientists, doctors, and other such to ensure steps taken to vaccinate, treat the sick, provide their care and medicines and also evaluate the necessity of lockdowns and red zones.

It is important that the country keep working with other nations under the  G20 High-Level Independent Panel, the G7 Pandemic Preparedness Partnership group, and the Report of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which primarily focus on addressing future pandemics by bringing the COVID pandemic under control. Only when countries work together will this be possible.

The world does not have to live through the nightmare of another attack of COVID-19.  With a powerful united global teamwork together on an affordable budget, the raging pandemic can be crushed and overcome.

In hindsight, with global cooperation, massive vaccine drives, plus still maintaining COVID health norms, and lots of prayers, let us not forget prayers because even the Creator and creation support science and heals, eventually, the pandemic will end, and even if the coronavirus is still around, it will not affect anyone as severely and eventually die off or we will become completely immune to it.

Also, one needs to build their own immunity through proper diets, nutrition and lots of fresh outdoor air, exposure to pathogens also builds up our immunity, so get fresh air, and also expose yourself to lots of sunlight, vitamin D, a natural virus fighter.

And remember our coronavirus keyline, no one is safe until everyone is safe.

 

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