Coronavirus: Actions that may help us to exit this pandemic before it’s too late

Mar 07, 2021 Dr Zulfikar Bux, Features / Columnists

By Dr. Zulfikar Bux
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center

Kaieteur News – Countries all over the world are scrambling for vaccines to vaccinate their population against COVID-19. The case numbers are beginning to drop, especially in countries with higher vaccination rate. There seems to be a similar trend in case numbers in Guyana. However, we cannot relax now, as this is the most vital part of the war against the pandemic. What we do for the next three months or so, will determine if we can exit this pandemic sooner or if we will have to continue the battle for the foreseeable future. Today, I will share what I think we all need to do in the next 100 days to ensure we get out of this pandemic sooner.
Get vaccinated as soon as your turn reaches
The Government has committed to ensuring that there are enough vaccines for everyone in 2021. This will be a significant achievement but the end users (us) need to ensure we all take our vaccines as soon as it’s available. The vaccines are useless in cold storage and can only be beneficial when administered to us. We therefore need to keep updated with vaccine schedules that will be published in the media and ensure we get our jab as soon as our turn reaches. The longer we take to get our vaccine, the higher our chances of getting COVID-19 and helping the virus to mutate and spread to others. If we cannot get more than 75 percent vaccination rate, then we will be stuck with this virus for the foreseeable future. So please help spread the word and ensure you and everyone you know get vaccinated.
Continue to practice the 3Ws
Until we exit this pandemic, we will have to continue to practice the 3Ws — Wear your masks, Wash your hands and practice proper hygiene and Watch your distance by avoiding crowded spaces when you are out in public. These measures are important now more than ever as they will prevent the virus from spreading and mutating further into strains that will render the vaccines ineffective. We basically need to buy enough time until everyone (more than 75 percent of the population) is vaccinated and these measures are the best way to buy time in this pandemic.
Avoiding delays as much as possible
We are at a critical juncture in this pandemic. The virus needs more of us to mutate and increase its spread and we need buy enough time to avoid this until sufficient numbers of people are vaccinated. The more time we give the virus, the likelier it will mutate into vaccine resistant strains, which will keep us in the pandemic longer. It is therefore very important that we tighten the screws and shut this virus out by being very strict with the 3Ws for the next three months and get vaccinated as soon as your turn reaches. The longer we take to do this, the more likely we will be facilitating the work of the virus and giving it a chance of becoming a permanent fixture in our lives.
What lies ahead if we get complacent?
Brazil is seeing a surge in cases and experts predict that they will soon see about 3,000 deaths daily. They have associated this surge with the Brazilian P1 mutated variant, which is also infecting those who were previously infected. Their vaccination rate has been slow thus far and experts are concerned that their medical system will be overwhelmed leading to more loss in lives. If we are not careful and get complacent, the mutate strain can easily spread through borders and cause a similar rampage here.
We therefore need to be more responsible than ever especially in the next 100 days or so. Let’s make this the final phase of the war against the virus. Get vaccinated as soon as possible and strictly adhere to the 3Ws for the next three months. If we do this well, I do believe that we can overcome COVID-19 in 2021.

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