I had my first shot of COVID-19 vaccine (AstraZeneca) on the 17th of March, 2021 at the nearest Primary Health Care Centre. The question was not whether I would take the vaccine – my major concern was more of availability and access to the vaccine.
I did not have any notable side effects. I only experienced a little restlessness about 24 hours after the vaccination. Definitely I will turn up for the second dose in June. Being a dentist and in a high risk profession, I would rather take the vaccine than succumb to the loads of misinformation being passed around about the vaccine.
Vaccines are not new to the history of mankind. In fact, the smallpox vaccine was the first vaccine to be developed against an infectious disease. In 1796, Edward Jenner demonstrated that an infection with the cowpox virus conferred immunity against the deadly smallpox virus.
From 1958 to 1977, the World Health Organization conducted a global vaccination campaign that eradicated smallpox, making it the only human disease to be eradicated. This milestone was achieved in 1979.
Also, Louis Pasteur developed the earliest effective vaccine against rabies that was first used to successfully treat a human bite victim on 6 July 1885.
Epidemiologists have said that the threat of deadly new viruses is on the rise due to population growth, climate change and increased contact between humans and animals. We need to be aware of this and be prepared by arming ourselves with the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In some countries, dentists and dental students have been enlisted in administering the vaccines. This supports an all-hands-on-deck approach to vaccinating as many people as possible in the shortest possible time.
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign going on globally is a quick and effective way to achieve herd immunity and to stop the spread of the disease. For health professionals, getting the COVID-19 shot is a no-brainer. Every dental professional should get the vaccine – we owe it to our families, the medical profession and to our patients.
For more info about the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines