10 Benefits Of Getting COVID-19 Vaccine

10 Benefits Of Getting COVID-19 Vaccine

There have been several conspiracy theories surrounding taking the COVID-19 vaccines even before they were discovered.

Most of those conspiracy theories were borne out of religious and social factors, as well as outright fake news.

Now that the vaccines have been made available in most countries, including Nigeria, there have been concerns in some quarters as to the efficacy of the vaccines, particularly the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, whose use was suspended by some countries recently due to presumed cases of blood clotting after use.

There is, however, no reason to be afraid. The cases of blood clotting recorded were minimal. Moreover, clinical trials conducted by the European Medicines Agency and the United States have found the vaccine to be “safe and effective,” offering complete protection against the worst outcomes from COVID-19 while causing no serious side effects. The vaccine is even now being used again by countries that earlier suspended it.

In fact, all the vaccines approved for use globally have been tested and trusted because like other drugs, the COVID-19 vaccines went through multiple phases of rigorous testing, analysis, and review. The clinical trials for the COVID-19 enrolled far more participants than other vaccine trials.

Also, agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration closely monitors the vaccine development process and testing results for efficacy and safety.

As part of the FDA’s formal process to determine if the vaccine is approved for public use, it also seeks a recommendation from a multidisciplinary team of experts consisting of independent medical officers, microbiologists, chemists, biostatisticians, and other health experts.

But if you still have concerns about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and among those feeling hesitant about getting a COVID-19 vaccine, below are 10 reasons why you should consider getting vaccinated.

To help stop the pandemic

According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, wearing face masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the coronavirus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough.

Vaccines will work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed, the CDC says on its website.

The agency states that the combination of getting vaccinated and following COVID-19 safety protocols offers the best protection from COVID-19.

It helps from contracting the virus

COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in clinical trials and have been approved because the studies show that the vaccines significantly reduce the probability of contracting the virus.

Based on what has been proved about vaccines for other diseases, the COVID-19 vaccines may help keep you from getting seriously ill, even if you don’t get the virus. Getting vaccinated also may protect people around you—particularly those at greater risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Infectious Diseases, US, Michael Saag, says the true value of the vaccine is more easily noticeable than if the vaccine development had failed.

“We would have been faced with an exploding pandemic for which there was no end in sight,” Saag says. “It might continue to burn through the population for another two to four years.”

He adds that the vaccine works at an almost unprecedented level of effectiveness.

Side effects are usually mild, temporary

Experts at the University of Colorado Boulder Medical Services, US, say it is important to remember that side effects are normal (they may be more common after the second dose) and show that your immune system is building up protection against the virus.

However, many people do not even experience side effects after vaccination. But if you do experience side effects, they are usually mild and go away within a few days. Common vaccine side effects include pain or swelling at the injection site, headache, chills, tiredness, and fever.

The vaccines don’t alter DNA

Saag says these mRNA vaccines give instructions to our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the spike protein. The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus.

“COVID-19 mRNA never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where DNA (genetic material) is stored. Once the instructions are inside your muscle cells, the cells use them to make the protein piece, then the cells break down the instructions and get rid of them,” he says.

“Next, the cell places the protein piece on its surface. The immune system spots the protein and begins building an immune response and making antibodies to fight the infection. At the end of this process, our bodies have learned how to protect against future infection,” Saag adds.