By Innocent Mujeri
Last Monday, the country received the first batch of 200 000 Sinopharm Covid 19 vaccines from China. As much as the arrival of the vaccines was celebrated across the country as a positive development, it also started a lot of debates as people started to peddle various conspiracy theories associated with the vaccines. Some people who have no medical or science background began to urge people not to take the drug as they might expose them to greater risks.
Amid this conspiracy theories about the Covid 19 vaccine, the people of Zimbabwe should know that an effective COVID-19 vaccine will help protect people who come in contact with the virus from becoming sick. As more people are vaccinated, families and communities will be able to gradually return to a more normal routine.It is common knowledge that COVID-19 can bring upon serious, life-threatening complications. Even though it affects certain groups less seriously than others based on age, health and other factors, it is still not possible to predict how COVID-19 will affect any individual. Although some scientists have argued that getting COVID-19 may offer some natural protection, known as immunity, experts do not know how long that immunity lasts, and the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. Therefore, getting vaccinated creates an antibody response, so that one is protected without having to experience the illness.
Some people are even asking if the COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Yes, the Covid 19 vaccines are safe to be administered to human body as they are a product of thorough research and analysis. The people of Zimbabwe should not hesitate to take the drug as these vaccines have gone through clinical trials to test for its safety and effectiveness. Yes, side effects such as fever and soreness at the injection site might be reported by those who might have taken the jab but surely the side effects cannot be as severe or dangerous as having a bad case of COVID-19 illness.
I have heard some people saying that the vaccines are not safe as they have been developed quicker than expected. The truth is that in the past, vaccines have taken many years to develop. However, the relatively quick development of the Covid 19 vaccine does not mean safety measures were skipped. The reasons why the COVID-19 vaccines were developed faster than other vaccines is that China shared genetic information about the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus when it was available, which gave vaccine developers an early start at finding a vaccine. Again, the testing processes for the vaccines didn’t skip any steps, but the vaccine developers conducted some stages of the process simultaneously to gather as much data as quickly as possible.
The quick development of the vaccine can also be attributed to various Governments and the World Health Organization (WHO) which gave money to vaccine developers in advance, so that the companies had resources they needed.
There are other people who were false insinuating that one could contract Covid 19 or HIV/AIDS from the vaccine. Such information is not only misleading but it is grossly false. The truth is that one cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine. The Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines do not have any virus or other infectious material in them. They are designed to cause our bodies to make copies of a harmless piece of the coronavirus, so you will not get COVID-19 from the vaccine.
I hope my fellow Zimbabweans will understand the benefits of taking the Covid 19 vaccine before they listen to some false information about the vaccine. The possibility of serious complications for anyone who gets the virus, along with the public health consequences of the pandemic’s continuing its course, are strong reasons in favour of getting vaccinated. Again, the COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in clinical trials and have been approved. Based on what has been proved about vaccines for other diseases, the COVID-19 vaccine may help keep people from getting seriously ill, even if they do get the virus.
It has to be noted that the COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to help stop the pandemic. Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available. Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce chances of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Vaccines work with our immune system, so it will be ready to fight the virus if we are exposed it.
I hope my fellow citizens would understand that the combination of getting vaccinated and following the WHO health provides the best protection from COVID-19. Again, we should all join hands to assist in ending the Covid 19 diseases as ending it will halt the growing negative impact the virus is having on education, the economy, health care and countless other activities of a functioning society.
People should not hesitate to take the Sinopharm COVID 19 vaccine as it’s not only Zimbabwe that is using the Sinopharm Covid 19 drug to inoculate its people. The Sinopharm Covid 19 vaccine has been embraced across the globe. A study done in United Arab Emirates by G42 Heathcare, showed that nearly half of UAE residents believe the Sinopharm jab is effective against the new strains of the Covid virus. Countries such as Turkey, Indonesia, Jordan, Algeria and Ukraine among many other countries are using the Sinopharm drug to vaccinate its citizens against the Covid 19 disease.
Recently, President Mnangagwa said the country can only return to normalcy if people have been inoculated. Therefore, if we really need to return to that normal society where we can freely mix and mingle, we then need to take the vaccine. After taking the vaccine, we can enjoy daily life, family events, work and school without distancing, without masks and without fear. We will once again enjoy regular shopping trips and dining out and family vacations without constant worry about the consequences. We can have real holiday activities instead of virtual ones. In short, after taking the vaccine, we will certainly get our lives back.
Moreover, WHO has also urged Zimbabweans to accept the vaccine. WHO country representative Dr Alex Gasasira said the vaccines as going to be a game changer as far as fighting the pandemic is concerned.
“We are aware that vaccines can be a game changer in this response, although we know that even with the vaccines, we will have to continue doing normal preventative measures. We really encourage everybody to play their part, we know that there are people at the highest risk of getting infected so there are the ones being prioritized for the first phase and we encourage everybody in that priority group to receive the vaccine,” said Dr Gasasira.
Even when vaccinated we also need to continue to practice all other recommended Covid -19 prevention behaviours, like the proper wearing of face masks, regular washing of hands with soap and running water, maintaining social and physical distancing and avoid gatherings .If we work together, we can defeat this pandemic and return to normalcy again.
