DOCTOR IS IN by Dr. Adil Manzoor OP/ED
Hey, Adil, what is Omicron and why is it spreading? Hello, Adil, will the vaccines I have taken protect against the Omicron variant?
There are tons of questions people have about the variant, which is not at all surprising, given the intrigue and hype new variants of the coronavirus bring. But the fact that people expect me or any other scientist for that matter to have answers to all their questions is amazing. COVID-19 is literally a novel virus, which means we don’t have all the details about the virus. But if there’s one question I can confidently answer, it’s whether you need to be vaccinated. The answer is an emphatic yes.
I get Deja vu when I write and try to convince people to take the vaccine. Like, why do we always have to do this? If there’s one thing we can clearly prove over the course of the pandemic, it’s that vaccines work. There’s a reason we all sat on the edge of our seats hoping for them to arrive soon last year.
Not only do vaccines offer protection against several COVID strains, but they also prevent serious health problems from the coronavirus. The vaccines are literally the only thing we have against the virus.
People often argue against the vaccine by pointing to the fact that some variants – first, Delta, and now Omicron – can evade the protective efforts of the vaccine. Well, guess why? Of course, it’s because the virus is still persisting among us. The longer the virus remains, the higher the chances of it mutating into more resistant and dangerous strains, which will just send us back to square one.
Right now, being fully vaccinated isn’t even enough to guarantee full immunity from the virus. Many countries, like the UK, are fast tracking booster doses, which are additional shots of the vaccine that boost the antibodies level in the body. Then there’s Israel, already considering administering 4th doses. That sounds ridiculous but there’s literally no other choice.
I shouldn’t have to beg people to take a vaccine that could end up saving thousands of lives, but here we are. There’s the risk of the virus developing some sort of resistance to all vaccines and booster doses but it’s one we have to take. I mean, the other option is watching people die while we wait for an Omicron-specific vaccine – you decide.
There are several misconceptions about the vaccine, like it causing myocarditis, which is plain stupid as the virus exposes one to even greater risk of getting myocarditis. Most of the arguments against the vaccine are more political than factual, and that’s just how we’ve handled the pandemic since last year. I am fed up.
Without the vaccine, we have little chance of winning the war against COVID, and finally ending these deaths. You’d think that would be enough to convince people to get the vaccine, but we live in America so, no.
We don’t have all the details about Omicron, except that it was first discovered in Southern Africa although some cases were in Europe before that. We also know it’s more transmissible than Delta, although with a lower risk of causing severe cases. But when transmission is widespread, the maths start ‘mathing,’ and people start dying in numbers.
Please, for the love of God, take the vaccine. And stay safe.
This article was written by Dr. Adil Manzoor DO, a Board Certified Internist & Board Eligible Pediatrician, who works as a Hospitalist, and Emergency Room Physician. He is also the current President of Garden State Street Medicine, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide free preventive and acute urgent care services for the homeless. He is also the co-founder of his own unique medical practice Mobile Medicine NJ.
References
· https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03614-z
· https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/12/06/andy-slavitt-on-omicron-covid-variant-vaccines.html
· https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna7451
