Get vaccinated

There is broad agreement within the global scientific community that the most effective way to defeat the COVID‑19 pandemic is through the mass vaccination of populations around the world. While the rapid development of vaccines against COVID‑19 is an extraordinary achievement, successfully vaccinating the global population presents many challenges, from production to distribution, deployment, and importantly, acceptance.

The 'Personal Liberty' argument

This is the freedom individuals exercise within the grounds of authority of politically organised societies. It has been a loud premise argued by anti-vaxxers who refuse the COVID-19 vaccination, often used with catchy phrases such as ‘health dictatorship’ or ‘liberty-killing’. Their belief is that every person has the natural, essential, and inherent right to bodily integrity, free from any threat or compulsion that the person accepts any medical intervention, including immunisation. Nevertheless, in a pandemic which has a mutating pathogen, infecting millions and indiscriminately killing as much of people, literally bringing the world to its knees, how efficacious does the personal liberty argument told true? Isn't this truly a time where the good of the many outweighs the skewed views of a stubborn few?

Herd Immunity

Often, an argument put forth by the anti-vaxxers is that of herd immunity. According to Mayo Clinic, herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community, the herd, becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who are immune. The more contagious a disease is, the greater the proportion of the population that needs to be immune to the disease to stop its spread.

The path to herd immunity for COVID-19 is either through natural infection or vaccination. With the former, the major problem is the uncertainty surrounding the virus. This is stemming from the issue of reinfection and the health impacts. For example, experts estimate that in the U.S., 70 percent of the population — more than 200 million people — would have to recover from COVID-19 to halt the pandemic. This number of infections could lead to serious complications and millions of deaths, especially among elderly and people with pre-existing conditions. The health care system could quickly become overwhelmed – as we have witnessed in the Maldives as well. 

As for latter, unlike the natural infection method, vaccines create immunity without causing illness or resulting complications. Case in point; using the concept of herd immunity, vaccines have successfully controlled contagious diseases such as smallpox, polio, diphtheria, rubella and many others 

In an article published on 5 April 2021 by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, it is argue that with COVID-19 and its mutations coupled with the requirement of a higher level of herd immunity is precisely why it is important to get as many people as possible vaccinated. If we rely on the natural infection route, the more people the virus infects, the more chances it has to mutate. Afterall, studies have reported that while initial infection by SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is protective against repeat infection for more than six months, this level of immunity may be lower among people with weaker immune systems, and it is unlikely to be lifelong. 

Further dampening the scenario, Greg Poland, the Director of the Vaccine Research Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, USA believes that herd immunity is unlikely, irrespective of the path taken. Even a vaccination rate as high as 95 percent would not achieve it, he said. “It is a neck and neck race between the development of ever more highly transmissible variants which develop the capacity to evade immunity, and immunisation rates.”

Why get vaccinated?

Data regarding the economic impact of vaccinations over the past 80 years proves that eradicating infectious diseases have a positive effect on key economic markers. Research published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology pointed to the health, economic and social benefits of vaccines

With accelerated vaccinations, markets are reacting. Recovery in global trade started in the last quarter of 2020, reducing its overall decline for the year to about nine percent, according to data released by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The real value of global trade is set to surge by 7.6 percent year-on-year in 2021 and 5.2 percent  in 2022 according to IHS Markit. Such growth is expected to be felt in local economies as well. With more healthier people, work places are opening up, and it becomes safer to return to work and fuel economic activity. 

2021 Federal survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics show that getting vaccinated correlated with immediate improvements in well-being. Rising vaccination rates coincide with better health care, job prospects, and future education plans. Better health also lowers health care costs individually and at a national level. Moreover, those less stressed tend to be better at planning for their future. 

Furthermore, higher vaccination rates makes outbreaks much less likely, thus reducing the need for preventive measures, such as border closures and travel restrictions.

What can governments do?

OECD recognises that what is as important as the vaccination itself is the public trust in COVID‑19 vaccines, further reiterating the significance of this experience to impact on the confidence for future vaccines. 

So, what are the key areas governments must consider when rolling out and encouraging vaccinations? According to the OECD this critically depends on; 

In the Maldives

According to statistics shared by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on 16 August 2021, there are six vaccination centres and three mobile teams in the Greater Malé Area while there is a total of 176 vaccination centres scattered across the atolls. A total of 349,136 people has been administered the first dose, and a total of 295,872 people with the second dose.  While the nation’s target of ‘inoculation of the entire populace within six months under the Covid-19 Dhifaau campaign’ did not reach its target, it is safe to say that we are on the right track. Statistics indicate over 55 percent of the population is now fully vaccinated. 

On 9 June 2021, to answer the question regarding the correlation between vaccines and economy, an article published by the Gulf News in UAE responds that ‘it is direct, clear and present’. This is absolutely true. The fact of the matter is there is no economic health without the physical and mental health of a nation's citizens. Vaccination has paved the way to fight this otherwise pervasive virus and helped humanity persevere in this ongoing battle.