Pros & Cons of Rushing to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine Early

By
Boon Hun
-

You’ve probably heard a lot about vaccines nowadays.

Some, like that neighbour on the 13th floor, would whisper and ask, who would take a relatively new, untested vaccine?

While others, like your favourite travel buddy, can’t wait for everyone to be vaccinated.

But who’s correct? And who should get vaccinated first?

Apparently, it all depends on which demographic you’re in.

Pros & Cons of Rushing to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine Early

Previously, it was reported that the first batch of the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine will reach Singapore at the end of this month.

During clinical trials, the vaccine shows a 95% efficacy rate and has low risk associated with its administration.

And by the third quarter of 2021, there will be enough vaccine for everyone in Singapore.

And as long as there is a large enough proportion of people vaccinated against Covid-19 in Singapore, the government can look at easing current safe-distancing measures.

In other words, if many people in Singapore were to get vaccinated early, this means that we can embark quicker on our journey to recovery.

However, there are still a few questions left unanswered about the new vaccine.

Does it stop transmission or does it protect only?

Is there a “time limit” to the protection or will it be lifetime protection?

Is there any danger for people in these specific groups?

Could a better vaccine (either in terms of protection or requiring only one dose) come along?

Dependent On Demographic

According to an ST article, whether to get vaccinated early or not depends entirely on the demographic you’re in.

For those who are in the high-risk groups, they might want to get vaccinated earlier since they stand to benefit the most from early vaccination (lesser deaths, lower risk of infection).

Meanwhile, for those who are not in the high-risk group, they can afford to wait while the high-risk groups get vaccinated.

However, they shouldn’t wait too long as number one, there’s no guarantee that a better vaccine would come along and two, studies have shown that even though people in low-risk groups have a lower risk of dying, they suffer long-term effects from the coronavirus.

Some of the effects include the loss of breath, joint pains and even the loss of the sense of taste and smell.

Plus, if too many people hold back from the vaccine, it just means that Singapore might take a longer time to recover.

Or, in the worst-case scenario, explode into another uncontrollable outbreak again.

As PM Lee has said, you don’t get vaccinated to just protect yourself.

You do it to protect others too.

Featured Image: angellodeco / Shutterstock.com

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Boon Hun
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