South Africans have always been a resilient bunch, but everyone has their limits and we find ourselves having our collective tenacity tested, especially in the second wave of the coronavirus.
Health workers are falling apart from exhaustion, and people are dying in numbers and at an unprecedented pace.
The mortuaries are full and overwhelmed, and even though the infection and statistics seem to be declining, and with still no cure on the horizon, there remains tremendous uncertainty on what the future holds.
Despite the mass propaganda of the theorists and the other naysayers, there remains by and large no reason to doubt the efficacy of the vaccines that will soon be available.
The concerns that have been raised are very much valid. Yes, we have never been here as a country, understanding Covid-19 remains a work in progress, and yes, a lot of blunders have been made along the way – but how will resistance to the very thing that is supposed to help us benefit us in the long run?
The world as we knew it pre-March 2020 will never be the same again, and even while we try to adapt to the new normal, the only certain thing remains uncertainty.
In the absence of herd immunity all countries will experience years of periodic surges, such as the second wave we are currently experiencing.
According to health experts, herd immunity depends on approximately 70% of the population developing immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the longer it takes to roll out a programme and the more we resist, the more we will face a significant resurgence, with dire economic and social consequences.
The success of a vaccination programme for Covid-19 will therefore influence the time taken to achieve this herd immunity. The longer it takes, the more damage there will be to the economy and society.
Of all public health responses, vaccines are among the most effective and permanent. The vaccines for smallpox, hepatitis B, measles, etc. have reduced the morbidity and mortality of infectious diseases worldwide.
Efficacious vaccines have therefore always been central to the management of many infectious and contagious diseases globally, so if we want Covid to go away and to go back to normal, we need to vax, ASAP.
The Star