Covid 19 Vaccine – facts versus fiction.

“Now that vaccine has arrived, how much liberty can we take after completing successful vaccination. “

Here is a summary

1. Immunity Gap– The immunity against Covid 19 doesn’t build immediately after the first dose or even immediately after the second. Full fledged immunity takes at least two weeks after the second dose.
2. Protection– Immunity induced by successful vaccination is not 100% protective. Even after complete vaccination, a person can get infected.
3. As per the clinical trial protocol of all vaccines, they are armed to reduce our chance of dying or getting a severe infection requiring hospitalisation. Even that is not 100%.
4. Protection ensured varies from vaccine to vaccine and from person to person. As per protocol a vaccine is authorised only if it confers 70% protection. All the licensed vaccines qualify this criteria.
5. Immunity Escape– Variant strains may not obey the above rule. The South African and Brazil variants are especially notorious in escaping the vaccine induced immunity.
6. Mutation– As we shall immunise a large chunk of population, the virus would try to break through our immune system and will be successful sooner or later. This is the rule of Survival of the Fittest.
7. A 2021 vaccine may not be efficacious in 2022.

Last but the most important fact is that this large Vaccinee number can give us a sense of false security which can lead to increased risky behaviour among the masses. Our time tested germ protection behaviour would be overlooked in the process.
As a result, mass gatherings like Social functions, Marriages and schools have now become the hotbeds of infection.

Once inside the forest, you can not be careless even if you have a thousand security guards. This planet is a forest that harbours a billion viruses. Not all are innocuous.

The bottom line is “we must stick to the time tested practices of mask usage, social distancing and hand sanitisation in addition to getting vaccinated as per schedule.

These three behaviours have protected our mankind for the last 200,000 years. They will protect us for another 300000 years.

Vaccination is only 100 years old and is not a magic potion.

Thanks for patient reading.

Ramakanta Mahapatra