The plan of the session
COVID-19 has overwhelmed our society and divided us into confronting groups that either support vaccination or not. The virus disrupts the health of the community and presents even more threats than it might seem. So, it is necessary to know about the medical suggestions for the situation and make oneself safe. As such, this educative session provides citizens with the most recent information about the disease and the ways to reduce risks. In the presentation, the value of vaccination in the current conditions will be discussed. Next, we will investigate the existing myths about immunization, as well as the danger that few people consider during vaccination. Finally, the session will propose alternatives for preventing risks and how one can assist in defending more people from the virus and other threats.
The value of vaccination now
It is known that the virus’s damage is produced by the mass population. COVID versions have demonstrated that it may be contaminated by anybody. The most efficient method of building invulnerability among large groups of people is vaccination, which provides herd immunity, also known as community immunity, which occurs when a substantial portion of a population in a particular region is immune to a specific illness. If enough people are resistant to a disease’s cause, such as a virus or bacteria, the sickness is less harmful. This is due to the fact that there are fewer high-risk individuals overall. Infection rates fall, and the illness dies off. Herd immunity safeguards vulnerable populations; for example, babies and people with weakened immune systems who cannot develop resistance on their own are among those at risk.
The community nurse’s role is to perform three functions that help communicate directly to the patient the importance of vaccination, help with possible consequences, and convey a national or local position in a more accessible but professional language for society.
Myths surrounding vaccination
There are multiple myths about immunization that need to be discussed. For example, 1997 research released by a British physician sparked widespread concern that vaccinations increase the chance of autism. However, several more significant studies were done, which discovered no relationship between any vaccination and the risk of getting autism. The other concern relates to the children suffering from vaccination because of their weak immunity. In actuality, even newborns are exposed to a variety of germs and viruses on a daily basis, and vaccines are insignificant in contrast. Others claim that natural immunity is better than vaccine-induced. In certain circumstances, it is, yet, the risks significantly exceed the advantages: there are more people who died because their immune systems failed than individuals who suffered from vaccination.
In turn, evidence demonstrates that vaccines prevent diseases if a proper strategy is chosen. For example, it works for measles, a viral infection that affects the respiratory system and spreads through the air. Next, whooping cough, or pertussis, is a lung illness that makes it difficult to inhale air. When someone with whooping cough sneezes, they might absorb the pertussis germs; vaccines quickly reduce the number of people with this disease. The other case is flu; people contract the virus when contacted by an infected person and then touch their own nose or mouth. Moreover, vaccines prevent polio spread, a virus in the entrails emerging after touching the dead. Finally, pneumococcal disease and tetanus, bacterial illnesses, are easily prevented by immunization.
The other risks not connected to vaccines
What are COVID immunizations? a viable alternative to a one-time shot
Unfortunately, the benefits of COVID vaccines can be overwhelmed by other non-obvious dangers. First of all, people with weak immunity are often restrained from getting immunization for medical reasons. Namely, the other vaccines that they take can provoke adverse effects or undermine the effects of antivirus protection. Second, COVID prevention might make people more resilient to other illnesses. As a result, the use of vaccines can result in getting other dangerous illnesses. In fact, every person is at risk, regardless of lifestyle, age, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status, income, education, and employment. The only exception is people who have medical reasons not to vaccinate. Children also can contact infected people and catch a virus, so some additional measures should be considered.
COVID immunizations alternative
Yet, there is a solution to the problem of additional viruses. Heterologous immunization is recommended as the greatest approach for improving health. The word “heterologous” means that immunizations address illnesses and diseases that are unrelated to each other all at once. In practice, it means that an additional shot containing a different vaccine should be injected into the body. While vaccinations have historically been created and to protect against infection or sickness caused by a single pathogen, scholars demonstrated that vaccines could beat even more diseases. The use of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine is the most famous example. This vaccine forms a more complex trained immunity; as a result, this approach is safer than a one-time shot as well as more useful.
The advantages o heterologous immunization
One can think about the obvious advantages of heterologous immunization already. First of all, the additional vaccines are already developed and researched; the researchers have concluded the safest combinations of shots. Second, there is evidence suggesting that heterologous immunization is effective for such vaccines as CoronaVac and Convidecia, as well as Covishield and Phizer. So, the approach is readily available and can save the lives of multiple people now. Next, the use of heterologous immunization reduces the risks that can be missed because of the panic about COVID. Moreover, even modestly effective heterologous vaccination initiatives have the potential to decrease the impact of future virus pandemics. It can be stated that the health of your community depends on this choice and can guarantee the lessening of possible harm.
The means of risks prevention for all
It has already been discussed that the risks of additional illnesses because of weakened immunity concern all populations. So, this problem should be addressed by everyone, and any person can take part in ensuring the safety of their close ones and the population in general. As such, one can learn more information about vaccination from health providers and determine what effects are relevant to their health condition. Next, one should participate in heterologous immunization after learning where this is possible and how it can enhance your health. Moreover, you can inform your relatives and friends about the vaccination. Finally, you may notify others about the risks of the infections and safeguard your community.
Information for participants of the session
This session has increased awareness of vaccination advantages and heterologous immunization. People who had doubts have overcome their vaccination hesitancy because of the presented facts and the debunking of the existing myths. Next, it was shown that heterologous immunization is a viable alternative to a simple vaccination, which is less effective. Finally, the session has encouraged these people to spread the idea of heterologous immunization to their close ones, which will propel many younger and elder people to vaccinate. However, the format of the presentation could be changed. For example, it could be useful to allow people to ask more questions during the session since it would build more trust and solve the issues that might come to mind for this audience.
The session outcomes are well-aligned with Healthy People 2030 objectives and leading health indicators. Namely, the presentation has dispelled myths surrounding vaccination and attracted attention to the fact that vaccines prevent diseases, which is one of the goals of Healthy People 2030. Moreover, it might have increased vaccination rates and improved the resistance of society to future variants, which is important for population health regarding the current indicators. To provide even more effectiveness, the session can be changed even further. Specifically, it can inform about other infectious diseases to increase awareness about all the possible dangers and achieve more Healthy People 2030 objectives at once. This approach would consider the broad spectrum of the population’s health needs in a concise way.
References
Hupert, N., Marín-Hernández, D., Gao, B., Águas, R., & Nixon, D. F. (2022). Heterologous vaccination interventions to reduce pandemic morbidity and mortality: Modeling the US winter 2020 COVID-19 wave. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(3), 1-10. Web.
Li, J., Hou, L., Guo, X., Jin, P., Wu, S., Zhu, J., Pan, H., Wanf, X., Song, Z., Wan, J., Cui, L., Li, J., Wang, X., Jin, L., Liu, J., Shi, F., Xu, X., Chen, W., & Zhu, F. (2021). Heterologous prime-boost immunization with CoronaVac and Convidecia. MedRxiv. 1-37. Web.
Marín-Hernández, D., Nixon, D. F., & Hupert, N. (2021). Heterologous vaccine interventions: Boosting immunity against future pandemics. Molecular Medicine, 27(1). Web.
Pathak, N. (n.d.). Top 10 vaccine-preventable diseases: Measles, flu, and more. WebMD. Web.
Writers, S. (2022). Vaccine myths debunked. PublicHealth.Org. Web.
WebMD. (n.d.). What is herd immunity?. Web.