Why COVID-19 vaccines are necessary?

Vaccines save millions of lives every year. The COVID-19 vaccines are designed to protect us against this particular virus and save lives.³

• The new vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to fight against COVID-19.¹
• The vaccines work by teaching our bodies how to respond to the virus to prevent us from getting severely ill.²
• The approved COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.⁷ They must meet the same standards as other medicine and follow rigorous clinical trials.^3,4

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, it has caused huge loss of life, economical damage, mental health conditions, and social crises.⁴ Safety measures and restrictions such as social distancing, mask wearing, quarantines, and lockdowns, can help reduce the spread of the virus. However, the vaccines can also protect us from getting ill if we do get the virus.³

The COVID-19 vaccines prevent illness

Studies show that the approved COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in stopping a person from getting COVID-19. They can also prevent people who do catch the virus from becoming seriously ill.³ They do so by prompting the body to prepare the immune system to respond to the virus.^2,3

Vaccination can create herd immunity

Herd immunity refers to a population being protected against a disease. This can be achieved through enough people having had the condition or through people being vaccinated. For herd immunity against COVID-19 to be reached, a high percentage of the population would need to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.⁵

COVID-19 can affect everyone

The COVID-19 virus can affect people in different ways. It can have serious, life-threatening consequences, and while there is greater risk for older generations, it can also severely affect young, healthy individuals.⁵ Being vaccinated also helps you to protect others.³

The virus can mutate

The COVID-19 virus is mutating, creating new strains as the virus genes change. Mutations happen more frequently as the virus spreads among more and more people. Further research is needed into whether new vaccines will need to be created for new mutations as they appear. Immunity and vaccination can slow down and eventually stop the spreading of the virus, and therefore reduce the likelihood of further concerning mutations.⁶

The pandemic needs a global solution

Until immunity is achieved across enough of the population, through vaccination or having the disease, the virus can continue to spread.⁵ The COVID-19 pandemic is a global problem that needs a collective effort and solution.

Sources:

1. Understanding how COVID-19 vaccines Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html. Accessed March 01, 2021.
2. COVID-19 vaccines. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines. Accessed March 01,
3. Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html. Accessed March 01, 2021.
4. COVID-19 vaccines: key facts. European Medicines Agency. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/overview/public-health-threats/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/treatments-vaccines/vaccines-covid-19/covid-19-vaccines-key-facts. Accessed March 01,
5. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Herd immunity, lockdowns and COVID-19. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/herd-immunity-lockdowns-and-covid-19. Accessed March 01,
6. New Variants of Coronavirus: What You Should Johns Hopkins. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/a-new-strain-of-coronavirus-what-you-should-know. Updated February 22, 2021. Accessed March 01, 2021.
7. Safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html. Accessed March 01, 2021