Covid-19 vaccine, A cause for worry or concern! By Lincoln Maiogo.

Introduction 

In a year in which a virus once again ravaged the earth threatening the human establishment, hope and comfort vanished like a thick smoke in the air. I am aware of thousands that have lost their loved ones during this dark period of human history and my prayers go out to them and may all those that departed rest in peace. The subject of vaccines is one which breeds both ambivalence of fear and excitement. The hard work, toil and efforts of scientists all over the world deserve thumbs up. Whilst we celebrate the discoveries of covid 19 vaccines around the globe, it became imperative to engage this contentious topic in bid to shed more light on the subject of vaccines. Plagues have always been in existence since time immemorial and whilst it is undesirable not to have them, an understanding of them is critical in fostering resilience in moving forward.

Definition 

A vaccine can be defined as a substance to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of diseases, its products, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease. The World Health Organization posits that reduce the risk of getting a disease by working with your body’s natural defenses to build protection. In short a vaccine is a substance used to stimulate antibodies for protection against diseases. Essentially the vaccine itself is not the protection; the vaccine releases protection inside the body in the form of antibodies. 

Understanding the immune system

The human body generally has 3 lines of defenses which include the physical body particularly things like mucus in the nose, hair in the armpits which traps and prevent foreign substances from entering the body. The second type involves the part of the body that responds to body cuts or activities which would have made an opening to the body thus creating a pathway for foreign invaders to enter. This is the part that heals wounded parts of the body eg the skin. The last line of defense is the one which involves what people normal term T-Cells and B-Cells. B cells contain some memory cells, which store information about diseases. The reason why viruses may bring with them devastating effects in their novel attacks is that them being new to the body means there no information inside the body’s memory cells about this fregn agent and thus it curtails the effectiveness of antibodies in fighting this invader. However when the virus attack the second time, these cells would have stored inside its memory the virus’ modus operandi placing it in a better position to wade off the attacks with much ease. T Cells are normally the commanders of the army ie the B-Cells(there are a type of white blood cells). B-Cells without T-Cells cannot act mero mutu, they need a signal from T-Cells. Viruses such as HIV attack and substantially diminish these T-Cells thus leaving the body vulnerable because these antibodies will now not be receiving signals to deploy and consequently havoc wrecks the body.

Most people are accustomed to the term “ma soja emuviri” when referring to antibodies with some simply referring to them as white blood cells. The reason for stimulation is that every person has antibodies in their body which are stored in what are called B-Cells. These B-Cells act like soldiers in that they cannot release antibodies without a command from the commanders. So with viruses such as HIV, the virus severely attacks commanders of the army leaving B-Cells without a command and hence antibodies deplete and consequently opportunitistic disease deal a final blow to the body. Thus when a person receives a vaccine, it is precisely meant to give a command to the B-cells to release “masoja emuviri” to fight a disease. These soldiers employ different mechanisms to combat the disease. It is common cause viruses once inside the body cannot be killed, they can only be rendered ineffective to such a stage where one can safe its metaphorically dead. Other complicated viruses such as HIV replicate thousands of times in a day making it difficult to cure it completely and hence antibodies when deployed usually focus on breaking the cycle of reproduction to reduce the impact these viruses. Suffice to say this subject is a complex one and without seeking to delve much into the nitty gritties of viruses and vaccines, I will explain the biggest takeaways of vaccines and areas where we might need to be concerned about. 

Firstly I will briefly seek to unpack the current development with regards to the recently reported mutation of the covid-19 virus. A mutation is a creation of genetic diversity which is subject to the opposing actions of selection and random generic shift, both of which are directly affected by the size of the virus population. To better understand it, a mutation is a new strain of the virus. An example closer to home are the different types of influenzas in the world, Influenza A, influenza B. Mutations are as a result of changes in the virus protein. The covid 19 virus has been reported to have mutated leaving in its wake new variants which have been reported to be ore infectious. The new development has seen the imposition of travel bans in the United Kingdom with 2 of the patients tested positive with it having travelled from South Africa. 

To decipher the fears of apocalypse, infectious simply entails it spreads faster than covid 19 but that does not necessarily denote that it’s more dangerous. These 2 are different. The question on everyone’s mind thus is since Pfizer and Biontech are a creation to fight covid-19; will they be able to fight these new variants which have been estimated to be around 17? Or will all these new variants require their own vaccines! Firstly to answer the question it is necessary to note that virus mutations are not a new thing. We’ve probably seen movies where human beings mutate to a super creature or the exact opposite. Whilst the movie mutation is largely fictional, virus mutation has always existed. So many factors cause it some which may be weather, food, maybe anything really. The new variant does not necessarily mean the Pfizer vaccine will not work on these. The vaccine has been reported to be 95% effective against covid-19, with variants they might simply he not as effective but that's still good news nevertheless. The vaccine may be 90%, 85%, 80%, and 75% effective meaning protection is still afforded to those with the disease. 

Should we still wear masks after being vaccinated?

Affirmatively! A vaccine does not necessarily mean the virus can’t be spread to the next person. It is still to be confirmed whether the vaccine both protects the host and the next person or it simply performs the former function. Vaccines may work in protecting the host but not necessarily prevent the spread of the disease. So whilst there’s something to cheer about, the war is still far from being over and WHO guidelines will still need to be followed. Moreso being injected with the vaccine does not mean it begins working on that day. Depending with the vaccine some may begin working after a week, some 2 weeks and some more meaning that during this interim period between injection and the moment it begins to function, one still remains vulnerable to the menace of the alien.

Back to the old normal?

What is clear from the evidence subsisting is that covid-19 will go down as one of the darkest phases of humanity. The old normal may take years to reestablish itself. What is more likely is that the virus will cause people to adjust to a new normal with people all over the world beginning to look at life in another perspective. Global pandemics have always existed, some in the form of the deadly world wars of the 20th century, some in the past pandemics such as influenza, polio etc that wrecked the earth and claimed so much from humanity. The Black Death which raged from 1347 till 1351 claimed an estimated 75-200 million people in Eurasia and North Africa. In the 20th century, World War 2 alone claimed about 70-85 million lives. The point I make is disasters have always been there from the beginning of humanity and in all of thee humanity fought back and survived the onslaught finding ways back to a new normal. Whilst the new normal might not be exactly what we envisage, it will be there. The virus will of course have enormous effects taking into cognizance the public perception towards science, medicine, God, life, etc. One thing is certain governments all over the world will face massive scrutinizes and in some new social orders may emerge. Clergymen will also face this scrutiny as most of them will have to answer why despite their “esoteric” connections with the divine, they could not perform what they have previously preached from the pulpits to the congregants that they could perform. People will have a lot of questions, more than can be answered. For the education sector, online learning may begin to be taken seriously for state universities where it previously had not been given attention with the urgency it deserves.

Side effects

There’s generally been articles flooding the media over potential side effects related deaths associated with the new vaccine. It is important to note that vaccines may generally have side effects, some which might be more deadly due to other pre existing conditions inside the body. What is clear is that vaccines go through a very rigorous careful process of clinical trials and reviews before being distributed to the public. The subject itself is complex as there are so many variables with trying to establish a vaccine as the cause of death for instance it may be inappropriate handling, production error or error of medical care. In 1991, there were reports on several deaths following administration of vaccination in India. The available data is generally insufficient to make a strong case of vaccine related deaths following immunization. It is not to say they won’t be any! It is simply to say the available data does not point to a mass event of such nature.

Conclusion.

The news of a vaccine does not end the war, it increases humanities odds in the war against this adversary of covid-19. Adherence to the regulations set out by W.H.O and the Ministries of Health is still important in surviving the ongoing global onslaught. The vaccine news is however a much needed ray of hope towards ultimate victory.