Being vaccinated – benefits outweigh the risks – Dr. Carpen
Introducing COVID -19 Vaccines…
Mahendra Carpen, GPHC lead Cardiologist.
Kaieteur News – Although taking the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory, Dr. Mahendra Carpen, lead Cardiologist of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), urges Guyanese to join the fight against the deadly virus and be vaccinated.
Speaking about the immunization campaign during a round of ‘Your Health Matters’ which was recently broadcast on Kaieteur Radio, Dr. Carpenters addressed several concerns about the safety of the vaccines and its viability to protect against the spread of the deadly virus. According to Dr. Carpen the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risk of not taking them. He noted that while concerns about vaccine safety are valid, there is scientific data that the vaccines are safe to use.
He noted, “In fact, the vaccine available in Guyana, the AstraZeneca vaccine, has been undervalued since the Ebola outbreak in 2014 or 2016, it took at least five years to develop.”
“Scientists had started the process to prepare for the next big thing ever since … So Coronavirus is not new to humans, it’s a virus that the world has been exposed to at SARS and MERS, which is Coronavirus. That is, the scientific basis of the AstraZeneca is that it has a timeline of development, ”added Dr. Carpen.
The Cardiologist emphasized that since vaccines have historically been called a method of promoting disease prevention, immunization is currently the world’s best bet against COVID-19 and its deadly effects.
“You are at greater risk of dying from COVID-19 without the vaccine than you are if you take it. What the vaccine does is boost your immunity to fight the infection and prevent its spread, ”he stressed.
However, Dr. noted. Carpen that there are some categories of people who will not be able to benefit from the immunization program.
“Based on the available scientific data, the only group of people who should not take the vaccines outright are those who have severe allergic reactions to vaccines in general, or those who are allergic to any component of ‘ the COVID-19 vaccines, ”he said.
Dr. Carpen among at least 6,500 people who have so far benefited from the introduction of the first phase of the COVID-19 immunization campaign, which began last month.
As a frontline health professional, Dr. Carpenters are among the first batch of people to receive the first dose of the vaccine. He told Kaieteur Radio that his immunization process had been smooth so far, with little to no side effects.
“This is quite normal; a cold or a small headache that usually disappears within 24 hours, ”says Dr. Carpen.
He also explained that the vaccine was given in a very organized way. According to Dr. Carpen, the vaccines are being rolled out to ensure that the most vulnerable or vulnerable groups of the population benefit first.
He said, “The first step is healthcare workers. The second would be people over 60 and those with co-morbidity or underlying conditions, then others would arrive at the next stage. “
At this point, Dr. noted. Carpen, most people have only received their first dose of the vaccine – a second dose is due within three months.
“The second dose is as important as the first as it completes the immunization boost against COVID-19 …” he stressed.
To date, Guyana has benefited from thousands of vaccines to ensure that all healthcare professionals are vaccinated before rolling out the immunization campaign to the wider population.
It was only recently announced that MPs would be offered the chance to be vaccinated against a recent shipment of COVID-19 vaccines.
Guyana has received 80,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from India. This, together with the 20,000 doses of Sinopharm, which the Government received from China last Tuesday, brings the total to 100,000 doses. Both vaccines are being distributed across the regions to ensure that all eligible people are immunized.
Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony, “We are going to consider that during this current run because there are not many parliamentarians, we think we will be able to get them involved. So, those senators who would be interested in getting their vaccine, we will make those vaccines available in this round. ”
“They are both within the same range of effectiveness and they do a good job of protecting people from infection and preventing people from getting the more serious form of the disease, so I think when you look data, they are just as effective, ”says Dr. Anthony.