Why should I get vaccinated for COVID-19?

There are so many concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines. Most of these concerns are driven principally by misinformation and are not based on the science. Of course, anyone subjecting themselves to any medical procedure must be concerned.

However, there is a difference between being concerned and being fearful. Fear can drive individuals to make decisions that may not be in their best interest or in the interest of the community.

When someone is subjected to a medical procedure, a critical question that they must ask is; what are the benefits of the procedure? If the procedure has health benefits, then by all means you should consider it. Secondly, you need to examine the risk. Like most things in life, there are always risks. When we go about our daily lives, we make risk assessments and decide what to do or what not to do. We also come up with strategies on how to minimize these risks. Once the benefits outweigh the risks and the risks can be mitigated, then often times we proceed. Simple tasks like driving a car comes with risks such as the car breaking down and accidents, but we do it because we have calculated that the benefit and the convenience outweigh the risks.

Vaccination is the most effective way to protect against infectious diseases. Vaccines strengthen your immune system by training it to recognise and fight against specific viruses. Vaccines that have gone through the rigorous clinical trial process and are approved by regulatory authorities are safe. There are some side effects to vaccines as with most medications, but the benefits of vaccines surely outweigh the risks. When you get vaccinated, you are protecting yourself and helping to protect the whole community.

COVID-19 can spread quickly and widely. When enough people in the community are vaccinated, it slows down the spread of disease. Achieving herd immunity is a long-term goal of the vaccination initiative. This is, we try to vaccinate sufficient persons so that they do not get the virus and in turn decrease the spread of the virus. With this, we will stop the chain of transmission. It usually requires a large amount of the population to be vaccinated.

Do not be fearful of the vaccine. Consider the benefits, the risks and use validated information to guide your decision.

Remember that there are lots of false information available, but at the same time there are lots of true and correct information available. Protect yourself and others and let’s end this pandemic.