The Health May 2021 | Page 18

Early testing may help prevent being inadvertently injured by possible and potential aggravating factors in the early part of the infection
It is true that the Covid-19 vaccines have many worrying features such as being produced within an atypically short time and often using newer technology . However , in a pandemic situation , vaccine hesitancy can be classified as risky behaviour .” kitchen cleaning liquid fumes in my case ) in the early part of the infection .

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THE HEALTH | MAY , 2021

| Covid-19 |

My Covid experience

Early testing may help prevent being inadvertently injured by possible and potential aggravating factors in the early part of the infection

I

AM a Consultant Histopathologist and Statistician . Hence , I am not a “ frontliner ”.
But , right from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic I have been actively summarising current research on my social media for the benefit of the public and doctors . I diligently practised masking , social distancing and hand-washing .
I shopped online as far as possible . In short , I avoided crowds . I was a “ model citizen ”!
Though I was very hesitant about the vaccines , some with new technologies , I registered for the vaccine anyway and was given an appointment for the end of March 2021 .
In the middle of March 2021 , I woke up one morning with symptoms of sinusitis . I thought nothing of it and went down to the kitchen .
After making breakfast , I sprayed the sink and counter-tops with my regular kitchen cleaner . Within a few moments I experienced mild difficulty in breathing .
I was puzzled but still did not panic . The same experience was repeated after the lunch wash-up .
By now I was worried . I decided to get tested for Covid-19 . We , in Malaysia , are very very lucky that getting tested is both not expensive and is convenient .
My twin mission
At the doctor ’ s office , my saturation had dropped slightly . I hastily penned my last will and testament via email to my family members . Being a lawyer ’ s daughter and sister certainly helped with that task !
In the early hours of the next morning
BARE FACTS
BY DR MANIMALAR SELVI NAICKER the hospital called to inform me that my test results were positive . I was shocked and distressed .
I was admitted to a private hospital for monitoring and spent 10 harrowing days wondering if I was going to walk out alive . At that point in time , I knew with certainty that I would rather have taken the risk of the vaccine than get infected .
In the hospital , I was continuously monitored and enormous amounts of PPE equipment were used every time the doctors or nurses came into contact with me .
All this was going to land up in a landfill somewhere and cause pollution . Anyway , to cut a long story short , I was discharged well . So , currently I am on a twin mission . The first is to encourage early testing and for as often as needed for Covid-19 tests . This may help prevent being inadvertently injured by possible and potential aggravating factors ( like the
It is true that the Covid-19 vaccines have many worrying features such as being produced within an atypically short time and often using newer technology . However , in a pandemic situation , vaccine hesitancy can be classified as risky behaviour .” kitchen cleaning liquid fumes in my case ) in the early part of the infection .
Three cardinal questions
The Government should do whatever it can to make testing cheaper , more reliable and more readily available .
The second mission is to encourage vaccine uptake . The cost ( in terms of time , labour , PPE ) to monitor a positive case in enormous . We will eventually run out of resources if the pandemic continues unabated .
So , how does one estimate the “ risk ” of vaccine vs the “ risk ” of infection for any particular disease ?
As a physician-statistician I am aware that clinical research , including vaccine research , is often of poor quality . Hence , I have never been either a rabid pro-vaxxer or rabid anti-vaxxer .
When it came to vaccines , I still asked the three cardinal questions : Is it necessary ( risk assessment )? Is it safe ? Is it effective ?
I am aware that there were many vaccines available in the market . Countries gave approval to some vaccines and not to others .
Medical bodies include some vaccines but not others in the Childhood Vaccine Schedules . So , accepting or rejecting vaccines cannot be over-simplified to being a pro-vaxxer or anti-vaxxer !
Estimating risks
Two factors come into play regarding vaccine acceptance . The first is the safety profile of the vaccine itself and the second is the likelihood of being severely ill after getting infected by the pathogen .
I have always been active in stressing that vaccines are essentially the pathogen either in whole , attenuated , killed , sub-unit or toxoid form . Hence , vaccines can have the same adverse reactions as the original pathogen but milder ( qualitative ) and for shorter duration ( quantitative ) and less often ( quantitative at population level ).
Hence , these should not be regarded as Adverse Events Following Immunisation ( AEFI ). Reporting thousands of the expected minor outcomes only serves to frighten and inflame the public . These should be classified separately .
To estimate “ risk ” one must have some idea as to how likely is one to come into contact with the pathogen . In an outbreak , endemic region or pandemic the answer would probably be very likely .
The second question is : if we come into contact , how infectious is the organism ? The third question is : If one were to get infected , how likely is one to suffer from a severe form of the disease ?
It is true that the Covid-19 vaccines have many worrying features such as being produced within an atypically short time and often using newer technology . However , in a pandemic situation , vaccine hesitancy can be classified as risky behaviour .
This is because one may very well find oneself desperately sick but unable to get medical care due to thousands of other equally desperately sick people occupying precious hospital beds . — The Health