getting this unknown viral infection and it was on everyone ’ s lips the hope that a cure ( normally very difficult for viral infections ) could be found or a vaccine .
Several pharmaceutical companies stepped up their act and went on overdrive trying to get us a vaccine . The first to come up with the vaccine was Moderna but the challenge with their vaccine was the storage of the vaccine at very low sub-zero temperatures . In quick succession Pfizer and Astra Zeneca followed suit and even Russia managed to come up with their vaccine Sputnik V .
From a prayer for a vaccine to be manufactured and maybe divine intervention , some people did a complete 360 degrees turn and all of a sudden didn ’ t want the vaccine .
Enter conspiracy theories and the rise of the anti vaxxers . This was quite interesting and the first theory was that never had a vaccine been produced so fast and why hadn ’ t they produced vaccines for other illnesses such as HIV and cancer . On 10 January 2020 , the SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequence data was shared through GISAID and what this together with great advances in science allowed , was the rapid development of tests and vaccines unlike some cancers where we still don ’ t know the cause . We hope this can be replicated for other diseases .
The usual other theories came about , of causing infertility , which some groups that include senior medical doctors support . They have tried to insist that vaccines is the West trying to engineer population control in developing countries . The biggest evidence to date is the tetanus vaccine . The numbers speak for themselves , billions of women have received the shot including myself and most have had subsequent pregnancies .
Next was the issue that it this was an m-RNA vaccine that it could somehow rewrite your DNA . What people forget is that for this to happen the vaccine must enter nucleus of the cell and to do that it would require several enzymes which are released sequentially at relevant times . The vaccine does not contain these enzymes and does not have signals to release them at specific time . Long and short the vaccine cannot re-write your DNA . There are also other vaccines , which are not DNA / RNA based and skeptics can opt for that .
Having debunked some myths , we are cognizant that yes the vaccine has some side effects majority of which are minor such as irritation or pain or swelling at the site of injection , headaches , muscle pain , joint pain , fever being the most common . I unfortunately got majority of these side effects but just took some paracetamol and the next day all had subsided . I only had an issue that I got a nasty wheel ( swelling at the injection site ) that persisted for 2 weeks but so far I have no record of anyone else getting a similar reaction so I put it down to my delicate skin .
There are some thoughts that people who have recently had Covid get a severe immune reaction to the vaccine and this data would have been interesting on the immune status of vaccine naïve people and side effects of the covid vaccine but don ’ t know anyone who is doing this currently .
The purpose of this article was to encourage people to get the vaccine and clinical trials have proven that all the vaccines are very effective in preventing infection with coronavirus . My family has been fortunate that majority of those who got the virus have recovered though we recently lost a distant aunt . That story is not the same everywhere and if I am to look at the medical fraternity alone we have lost quite a number of colleagues and as we don ’ t want to be statistics for Covid-19 deaths and for this reason alone cannot understand why anyone and more so front line workers would be opposed to the vaccine .
For the few who do get the virus despite being vaccinated they tend to suffer milder forms and don ’ t get severe complications . There was a politician who got Covid a few days after getting the vaccine . I strongly believe he had actually been infected prior to vaccination and even the vaccine takes at least three weeks before you mount a proper response and defense from the first dose and most effective after the second dose .
Getting the vaccine yourself may also protect people around you . The reason being , if you don ’ t get the disease you are less likely to spread the virus to those around you . We have also seen many cases of people getting the virus more than once meaning again a portal for infection of people close to them .
This virus is new , aggressive , and mutates like a nonsense . We need to use all available tools of which vaccination is a major game changer . I am personally very tired of having to wear masks all the time though I love the hand hygiene practices inculcated into society and hope this lasts way after we beat this virus . If only for the hope that we will be able to go outside , travel at will and enjoy company of friends and loved ones . Vaccination offers the potential for this to happen but requires that large portions of the community be immunized .
If you ’ ve been around someone who has Covid-19 , you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms i . e no need for home selfisolation ( does this sound like freedom !!!) For those who have been under home isolation I think you know what I am talking about .
Sometimes one has to be selfish . My children have been actively involved in competitive swimming and since the beginning of the pandemic this activity has been curtailed . Sports as we all know is something that has lifted the lives of many people both directly and indirectly . Sports has several health benefits and societal benefits as we know people involved in sports are less likely to partake in vices such as alcohol and illicit drugs ( if only to pass the doping tests ).
I would encourage the government to consider people involved in sports for vaccination to enable them not to lose their livelihood . We are a sporting giant as a nation especially athletics and have potential for greatness in other sports . Without proper training at the right time the gains we have made in sport may come to naught . Kindly vaccinate coaches and all athletes to enable them to excel in their endeavors .
I will end by encouraging all the readers to get vaccinated and egg the government not to cease its efforts in vaccinating the entire population . The challenge with the modern world is that we want democracy even in things that are obviously good for us . I hope I am speaking to the converted and hope the government increases its effort to ensure all who are opting to get vaccinated can do so in a more expedited manner .
Dr . Maureen Owiti is a practicing Obstetrician Gynaecologist and fertility consultant based in Nairobi . You can commune with her on this or related matters via email at : Drmaureenowiti @ gmail . com .