We need global solidarity to beat Covid-19
A medic administers a Covid-19 vaccine at the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council's headquarters in Nairobi on March 31, 2021.
What you need to know:
- It’s almost two months since Kenya launched the vaccination campaign against the virus.
- So far, over 750, 000 people have been vaccinated while 2,500 have died.
In the past one week, the world has watched and followed with devastation as India grapples with the second wave of the pandemic. A country of 1.3 billion, it has been posting staggering world records of Covid-19 deaths and infections for five days in a row.
The international community has undertaken to ship vaccines, ventilators, beds, medical oxygen and other essentials. This support goes to highlight the overarching call – global cooperation and solidarity against Covid-19.
The goal is to ensure no country is left to suffer the toll of the disease in isolation. One can only wish the same zeal would be replicated in the distribution of vaccines across the world.
It’s almost two months since Kenya launched the vaccination campaign against the virus by deploying Astra Zeneca vaccine. So far, over 750, 000 people have been vaccinated while 2,500 have died. Being a two-dose vaccine means those who have been vaccinated will have to wait until a second consignment arrives to receive the second dose.
Minimising transmission rates
As was expected, due to the political dynamics of supply and demand, vaccination drives across the globe have highlighted a disparity in distribution rates. While wealthier countries are ramping up inoculation drives with vaccines of their choice, low-income countries have to make do with what is available to them. Also, despite their benefits, there are people who have refused to be vaccinated, presenting a challenge in the fight against the virus.
It is also evident that those who have been vaccinated have a tendency to drop their guard with a notion that they are safe. Vaccination does not stop the virus from entering the body, it only serves to heighten the immune response against the virus. This ensures the host, if infected, manages the infection relatively well as it does not advance to severe stages. There are reports, emerging from India and Brazil, of people who tested positive and even got sickly after vaccination.
The main rationale of vaccines is to reduce the susceptibility of a population to infection, thereby minimising transmission rates. If the world is to defeat this scourge, there should be a global push for equal distribution of vaccines.
Dr Kerima (PhD) is a biochemist; [email protected]; @KerimaZablon
