COVID-19 has become a real challenge for the whole world, and the healthcare systems of different countries. People were faced with a strict quarantine, and the need to stay at home in complete isolation. Experts around the world tried to cope with the problem, making every effort to create a vaccine. Developing a vaccine has become a priority task, as the world should return to its normal pre-pandemic state.
The vaccine protects against COVID-19, which, without a doubt, is a dangerous and, alas, deadly disease. According to Jeyanathan et al. (2020, para. 2), COVID-19 “has infected at least 20.1 million individuals and killed more than 737,000 people globally, and counting”. COVID-19 can cause severe complications and is most dangerous for the elderly and people with a tendency to respiratory diseases. Andreadakis et al. (2020, para. 1) claim that “The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is working with global health authorities and vaccine developers to support the development of vaccines against COVID-19”. The appearance of this virus has forced the whole world to work together to create a cure, which undoubtedly confirms the importance of the vaccine.
It is always difficult to introduce new drugs to the masses. According to World Health Organization (2021), “Ensuring acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccination at the country level presents a unique set of difficulties but is key to successfully reducing transmission and containment of the pandemic”(p. 39). Medical professionals should treat patients with understanding, answering all their questions. If a patient refuses to be vaccinated, it is necessary to patiently explain the importance of vaccination and the danger of the disease.
Each vaccine has its different side effects, which can appear on the same day you received the vaccine. The vaccine’s common side effects are pain at the injection site, fever, fatigue, headache, chills, muscle pain, and diarrhea (Capretta & Ganz 2020). In addition, an allergic reaction may also occur, the signs of which are: difficulty breathing, swelling of the face or throat, rapid heartbeat, rash all over the body, etc. (Capretta & Ganz 2020). However, they can be overcome with the help of medications, and they are not as terrible as the consequences of the disease itself.
References
Andreadakis, Z., Kumar, A., Román, R. G., Tollefsen, S., Saville, M., & Mayhew, S. (2020). The COVID-19 vaccine development landscape. Nature reviews. Drug discovery, 19(5), 305-306.
Capretta, J., & Ganz, S. (2020). (Rep.). American Enterprise Institute. Web.
Jeyanathan, M., Afkhami, S., Smaill, F. et al. Immunological considerations for COVID-19 vaccine strategies.Nat Rev Immunol 20,615–632 (2020). Web.
World Health Organization. (2021). (Rep.). World Health Organization. Web.