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COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to reduce deaths and virus infections, but sadly there are a number of misconceptions surrounding life-saving drugs, which has led some Jamaicans to choose not to. get vaccinated.
This has a negative impact, as declining COVID-19 vaccination rates may lead to a further rise in respiratory disease, especially since to date only 9.9% of the island’s population was fully vaccinated until Thursday.
Misconceptions such as “COVID-19 vaccines can overwhelm a child’s immune system” are dangerous and have “no scientific or medical value,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Scientists and researchers have repeatedly indicated that the reality is that cells of the immune system are “constantly being renewed”, which means that the likelihood of the system being overwhelmed is unlikely due to cell reconstitution.
Another misconception about COVID-19 vaccines is that people should not be given both doses of a two-dose vaccine.
The Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines that are given in Jamaica require two goats to be given at least a few weeks apart. The Jamaican Ministry of Health and Welfare has stressed that both injections are necessary for “optimal protection”.
Also, a single hit does not make an individual fully vaccinated.
A study released by the CDC in May this year, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), found that “a single dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines was about 80% effective against symptomatic COVID-19; two doses were 94% effective. “
With the dangerous Delta strain of the coronavirus becoming dominant globally, a second hit is even bigger.
“A UK-based study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that one dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine (the latter is currently not licensed in the US) is about 31% effective against symptomatic diseases caused by Delta. Two doses of the vaccine were about 88% effective, “AAFP said.
Currently, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the only single dose vaccine offered in Jamaica, and it has been shown to be effective against the Delta strain of the virus.
The second injection of Pfizer should be given 21 days after the first, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended. However, the second injection of Pfizer can be given for up to six weeks or 42 days from the first.
The second stroke of AstraZeneca, according to WHO standards, can be given between eight or 12 weeks. If necessary, it can also be given up to 14 weeks after the first dose.
Another misconception about vaccines is that they are bad for people with a history of allergic reactions.
This is not true, as the US CDC has indicated that people with a history of allergic reactions to oral medications, food, pets, insects, among others, can be safely inoculated with any COVID-19 vaccine brand.
The AAFP recently noted that “the only group the agency (CDC) says should absolutely abstain are those who have had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in a COVID-19 vaccine.”
Additionally, if people have had “an allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable drugs, the CDC recommends talking to your doctor about whether to get the vaccine,” according to the AAFP.
In Jamaica, health officials have also taken this position. There have been no detailed reports locally of people having had severe allergic reactions after taking the vaccines.
There are also misconceptions about whether people can get COVID-19 from COVID vaccines.
This, again, is wrong, because when viruses are used to make the coronavirus vaccines, the viral cells are deactivated and they have not been proven to cause infections.
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