Experts say that vaccines are developed for years to give better protection. In such a situation, it is too early to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the regular vaccination list.
Image Credit source: PTI
in the White House coronavirus K Response Coordinator Dr Ashish K Jha recently said that this virus will always be around us, although its worst phase is over. In an interview, he said, “Covid is not over, it will be with us forever and we have to continue its prevention but if I am asked what is the worst phase of COVID, my answer will be: absolutely its Bad times are left behind.”
Should we include the COVID-19 vaccine in the regular immunization list if this virus is going to be around forever?
On World Immunization Day, Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, said that it is too early to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the regular vaccination list. He said, “Vaccines are developed for years to give better protection, so we can say that it is too early to add COVID vaccines to the vaccination list.”
Still more research needs to be done
Dr Chatterjee further explained that the current COVID vaccines were made in haste to protect people from the epidemic. Vaccines were more accurate for the current virus at that time. He said, “The vaccines for COVID-19 as we know were one of the fastest developed vaccines against any virus. The pandemic created a situation where it became imperative for pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines at the earliest to prevent deaths from the virus.
He said, “But to include this vaccine in the list, we will need to understand the behavior of the virus in the coming years. Right now we are seeing a mutated virus, it may develop further. Therefore, it would not be right to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the regular vaccine list right now.
Vaccines take years to develop
Vaccines are usually manufactured after years of research. Dr Chatterjee said, “That is why if we have to add these vaccines to the regular vaccine list, then more research will be needed to make these vaccines more safe. All its side effects need to be studied.
He said that after all this is done, we can definitely add the COVID-19 vaccine to the regular immunization list.
Routine Vaccination Several reports have been published stating that routine vaccination was not done properly during COVID-19. Commenting on this, Dr Chatterjee said that due to the lockdown and quarantine, regular vaccination of many children could not be done. He said, “But, according to me, now that the COVID virus is not too serious, everything is back on track.”
He emphasized that the vaccine included in the regular vaccination list is thoroughly researched and studied. Whereas the COVID-19 vaccine is recommended only after understanding the disease and prevention.
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