Health and Lifestyle

The Importance of COVID-19 Vaccine

Dr. Veena Madhankumar

Jun 3, 2021 — 2 min read

Looking at how fast this deadly Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading, COVID-19 vaccines along with social distancing and masks are the only way to come out of this pandemic alive. COVID-19 vaccines have passed certain goalposts to ensure safety and efficacy, and all the approved COVID vaccines are safe. Here is some information that will guide you through the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.

Why Is Getting Vaccinated Important?

COVID-19 disease can cause serious and life-threatening complications. And as it is a new infection, we have limited information, and not much is known how it will affect you in the long run. If you get sick with COVID-19, you can spread it to your family and friends who are around you.

Getting vaccinated with any of the approved COVID-19 vaccines can offer some protection, similar to natural immunity, which you acquire when infected with COVID-19, without getting sick.

COVID-19 vaccines will not prevent you from catching COVID-19, but they will protect you from getting seriously or critically ill even if you get infected with COVID-19. This will drastically reduce fatal complications and hospitalization due to the infection. Vaccines are deployed to reduce the infection in a susceptible population substantially.

Here Are Some Answers to a few Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19 Vaccines:

While there are thousands of commonly and frequently asked questions about COVID-19 and its vaccines, we have tried to answer a few of them here.

1) Covaxin Vs. Covishield – Which is better?

The best vaccine is the one that is available to you. Both the vaccines have shown satisfactory results in the clinical trials. Both these vaccines have undergone rigorous clinical trials to ensure safety and efficacy. There is no difference between these vaccines in terms of dosage. The effectiveness of Covishield shown according to the global reports is 79%, and Covaxin has shown 81% efficacy after the third phase trials. Get vaccinated whenever and whatever is available rather than waiting for a particular brand.

2) What If the Second Dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine Is Delayed?

Health experts say there is no need to worry or panic if the second dose of any of the COVID-19 vaccines is delayed for a few days or weeks. If the second dose is delayed, you need not restart the vaccine series again. It is not feasible to adhere to the scheduled interval as there is a shortage of vaccines, so delay in vaccination is unavoidable. There is not enough information about how effective the vaccination will be if the second dose is delayed.

Getting vaccinated with the available vaccine is very important to break this chain of transmission. You also need to follow the safety guidelines like washing your hands regularly, maintaining social distance, and wearing double masks regardless of getting vaccinated.

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