Health Matters: Change is inevitable and no vaccine perfect but we must not lose sight of our major goal in tackling Covid-19
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Change is a fundamental feature of life. Some changes are welcome and some unwelcome, writes Dr Tim Allison.
Change affects the world around us in terms of weather and seasons and we all change as we age. The easing of Covid restrictions is a welcome change, especially for people who have been unable to meet family and friends or to work.
Changes in the Covid virus with the emergence of new variants are unwelcome changes, but this reflects the normal pattern of what happens to viruses.
They change and evolve and the more people who are infected for longer, the more likely the virus is to change. The influenza virus changes every year with new variants emerging and the vaccine is modified each year in response.
"No medicine is perfect though, and no vaccine is perfect. Covid vaccines provide a higher degree of protection than some other vaccines, but do not offer total protection"
We must expect the Covid virus to continue to change, but the more it is controlled worldwide the less likely it is to produce new variants.
One thing that doesn’t change is the need for continued precautions such as washing hands, as I have mentioned several times before.
We have also heard about changes to Covid vaccinations. There are now three vaccines available in the UK and more are likely to follow, but in our area for the moment we have the two earliest vaccines, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
Information about the effectiveness of the vaccines has become stronger over the months during which they have been used.
Vaccines are showing effectiveness in reducing community transmission as well as protecting individuals.
The current vaccines are showing effectiveness against new variants and vaccination programmes are being accelerated where stocks of vaccine allow for this, especially in areas where variants are more common and among people most at risk.
Vaccination is an essential part of tackling Covid and I continue to encourage everyone who is eligible to take up the offer of vaccination. So far both the uptake across NHS Highland and the dedicated work of staff vaccinating has been excellent.
No medicine is perfect though, and no vaccine is perfect. Covid vaccines provide a higher degree of protection than some other vaccines, but do not offer total protection.
That is why we need to remain cautious. Also, just like other medicines and other vaccines, Covid vaccines can have side effects. These can range from discomfort in the arm to much rarer but more serious effects.
Safety assessments for the vaccines have been rigorous, just like for all vaccines and medicines, but as the vaccines get used millions of times, very rare side effects are found through systems set up to monitor this.
There is far more danger from Covid than from rare vaccine side effects, but it is important to take the most rigorous precautions with vaccines. So, people under the age of 40 are now being offered the Pfizer vaccine.
As our knowledge of Covid and of vaccines grows, further changes may happen. But the overall aim remains keeping down Covid and keeping people safe.
Dr Tim Allison is NHS Highland’s director of public health and policy.
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