Vaccinated against Covid 19

The importance of getting
vaccinated against COVID-19

With the pandemic well under way and vaccines freely available, many South Africans are still unvaccinated because they are unsure of what the vaccine is and how it works. In this education sheet, we’ll outline the science behind the vaccines, some of the key factors that may prevent people from getting vaccinated, and how getting vaccinated can help protect you, those around you and our country as a whole.

First thing’s first: The science behind the COVID-19 vaccine

mRNA vaccines – Pfizer-BioNTech & Moderna⁵

These vaccines contain material from the virus that causes COVID-19, instructing our cells on how to make harmless protein that is unique to the virus. After our cells make copies of the protein, they destroy the genetic material from the vaccine. This enables our bodies to recognise the protein that should not be there, building T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight the virus that causes the disease in the future.

Vector vaccines – Johnson & Johnson⁵

The J&J vaccine contains a modified version of a different virus – not the one that causes COVID-19 – with material from the COVID virus inside the shell of this modified virus. This is called a viral vector. Once this is in our cells, the genetic material gives our cells instructions on how to make a protein that is unique to the COVID virus. From here, the process is similar to mRNA vaccines, in that our cells make copies of the proteins and then build lymphocytes that remember how to fight the virus in the future.

COVID-19 vaccinations: The facts

The vaccination rate in South Africa recently hit 60%, which is encouraging. However, that leaves 40% of the population who are still unvaccinated, and the science suggests that 94% of the population must be immune to disrupt the chain of transmission6. While there is a lot of disinformation around COVID-19 vaccines, the facts below are supported and agreed upon by the global scientific community.

The key points

Vaccines are effective in protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalised, and even dying^1,3.
You need to stay up to date with the recommended number of doses and boosters to ensure the best possible protection¹.
COVID vaccines are MUCH safer than getting COVID-19¹.
Scientists are unable to predict how badly your symptoms will be if you are infected with COVID, so even if you’re young and healthy, you may experience serious illness. Vaccination is the best possible preventative for severe symptoms¹.
Vaccines help protect children from serious complications, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a condition that can affect kids and teens who are infected with COVID¹.
Vaccines are also important for pregnant women, as antibodies can be passed to your baby through your placenta and breastmilk, giving them a degree of immunity to the disease^3,4.

Unvaccinated adults are up to 29 times more likely to be hospitalised than fully vaccinated people⁷

Vaccines are safe

While it’s true that the vaccine was created quickly, processes for safety and efficacy where already in place. These processes were developed and tested over many years to ensure safe vaccines in a pandemic just like the one we’re experiencing now^3,4.
Clinical trials were conducted before the vaccine was released to the public, testing efficacy on various ages, racial groups, comorbidities and more³.
You are likely to get symptoms such as a sore arm, mild fever or aches after receiving the vaccine, but this does not mean that you are sick³. These symptoms usually last a day or two, and are your body’s natural response to learning to fight the virus. COVID-19 symptoms, on the other hand, will last much longer and can lead to serious health complications.

Getting vaccinated benefits your community

Government restrictions are based on the number of people who are getting infected with COVID-19, so by getting vaccinated, you’re helping ease the restrictions that are stopping us from getting back to life before the pandemic³.
Even if you don’t think you’re at risk of serious complications from COVID-19, others in your community may be vulnerable to the disease. So when you get vaccinated, you’re protecting the people around you^2,3.
If too many people are unvaccinated, the COVID-19 virus has more time to spread and develop new variants. This means that when you get vaccinated, you’re doing your part to get our society back to normal, while minimising future risk of new waves of infection³.

COVID-19 vaccine myths & facts

Myth:

Vaccines were developed too quickly and side-stepped safety protocols

Fact:

For decades, scientists have developed and tested protocols to be used in this exact circumstance4. That means that there were processes in place to ensure that no safety protocols were missed.

Myth:

The technology that created the vaccines was brand-new

Fact:

COVID-19, as the name suggests, is not a new type of virus – rather, it is a more serious disease from the coronavirus family. Scientists have been working on coronavirus vaccines for many years, using existing research to develop the vaccines we’re using today.

Myth:

The vaccine will change my DNA

Fact:

Vaccines work by teaching your immune system to combat the disease, and do not interact with your DNA in any way.

Myth:

If I have had COVID-19, I don’t need to get vaccinated

Fact:

While you will get some kind of natural immunity from being infected, this rapidly decreases over time³. It will also not help you ward off infection from new variants. Getting vaccinated gives you a much better chance of minimising your risk of severe illness.

Myth:

Big pharma is pushing the vaccines so they can make money

Fact:

The pandemic has caused an unbelievable disruption in the global community, and vaccines were developed to give us the best possible chance at ‘getting back to normal’. Governments across the world are committed to saving lives and protecting citizens, and vaccines are simply the best possible route to achieve this.

Getting vaccinated is the best possible way to protect yourself and those around you, and to get our country and globe back on track.
Do your part – get vaccinated today!