Photo via USC News
With the start of the National Immunisation Programme today, there comes hope that the COVID-19 pandemic in the country can finally be brought under control.
It feels like watching the stars come out at night, punching their tiny holes in the darkness one by one.
But there might be some of you who are still not fully convinced about receiving the vaccine.
Astro Radio News spoke to Universiti Malaya public health medicine specialist Prof Dr Victor Hoe to help address some concerns, in hopes of getting more people to roll up their sleeves for the jab.
One must remember vaccination will be able to protect most people from getting sick from the COVID-19 virus.
This is because when we are given the vaccine our immune system will produce antibodies and memory cells.
Some of you might also be wondering if the vaccine could cause you to test positive for COVID-19.
We should take note that one will not get the coronavirus from the vaccination itself.
For example, when a healthy person is tested using swab tests upon vaccination, the test will be negative because there is no coronavirus disease.
But let’s say you’re testing for antibodies, then the test will be positive because the vaccine has helped you develop an immune response.
Another common question is this, are those who’ve been vaccinated still able to transmit the coronavirus to others?
Unfortunately, there’s no conclusive scientific evidence on this.
That’s because current trials are only designed to see if vaccines protect the recipients from getting sick, and not on whether they can transmit the disease.
Nevertheless, vaccines are meant to protect people from getting sick and reduce the duration of infections, thus, help bring the pandemic under control.
Also, won’t you feel better knowing that you and your loved ones are protected after getting vaccinated?
Finally, there is plenty of misinformation and anti-vaxx conspiracy theories being spread about the vaccine.
You can help put a stop to this by ignoring the negativity and focusing instead on the benefits and success stories.
And don’t forget to check out our other vaccine-related articles, as well as all things