Vaccines: Raising hopes, Raising fear?

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By Sara Lona Abou El Mona

At the end of this exhausting year, we are still facing unprecedented times. The global pandemic has affected almost every aspect of our lives, reaching every corner of our Earth. During this year, pharmaceutical companies have competed over who will be the first to create an FDA approved COVID-19 vaccine that will be the major step in solving the global crisis. While there exists a fair number of people who are anti-vaccine, the majority are anticipating the arrival of the world ticket out of its ongoing misery.

The long-awaited vaccination will protect you from the virus, it is the safest way to build protection and the most vital tool required to end the pandemic. There exists reliable scientific evidence that vaccination is the toughest defense against severe infections. It is true that a vaccine has never been approved by the FDA as fast as the COVID-19 vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, were approved. However, the FDA gave emergency use authorization using relatively less input than typically required since there is an immediate need for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Based on data collected from the ongoing clinical trials, professionals have reason to believe that even if one does have the coronavirus the vaccine could prevent the individual from becoming fervently ill. Not only does the vaccine protect the vaccinated individual, it protects those around who the virus could be fatal to. The dilemma that the COVID-19 brings is the fact that it affects each person differently, and there’s absolutely no way to know how it will affect you.

The saying “Better safe than sorry” has never been truer. Vaccination saves one from experiencing the still unknown long term effects of the fatal virus. The already implemented precautions, wearing masks and social distancing, do relatively decrease one’s chances of catching the virus and then spreading it to others. However, these measures are not enough. Covid-19 was fatal to 2% of the individuals it has hit, considering the rate at which this virus transmits, 2% is a significant number. Vaccines boost the immune system greatly, reconstructing its power to fight the deadly disease. Over the years, vaccinations have been facing enhanced refusal despite that they have eradicated serious diseases.

This hesitancy is understandable, people nowadays are more aware and knowledgeable. While doctors are the ones promoting the COVID-19 vaccines, citizens are taking research into their own hands. This can lead to two paths; either people get misinformed by the multiple anti-vaccination pages on apps like Facebook and Instagram, or they can do their research correctly and discover that the benefits of an effective COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks by far. People should know better than to trust ignorant non-healthcare workers who are using these delicate times for attention. On a scientific level, the mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, are geniuses.

As humans, we always free the unknown. This is normal but this should not stop us from taking the route to solving the global health crisis. Also, it should be remembered that the FDA approved vaccines have been in trial for a sufficient time. Finally, those refusing the vaccine are putting the rest of us in danger.

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