Health Matters: 'I urge everyone in the Highlands to take up the offer of Covid-19 coronavirus vaccination'
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WE are all desperate for some good news as the months of pandemic and Covid restrictions drag on, writes Dr Tim Allison.
We look forward to the brighter and longer days of spring, but there is no certainty about when the current level four Covid restrictions will be relaxed, when children will be back at school, when we will be able to meet family and friends, travel more widely or when some businesses will be back up and running.
Where we do have definite good news is with the Covid vaccine. Vaccination started early in December and is forging ahead.
Vaccination works by stimulating the body’s own immune system to fight off the virus. The vaccines do not cause infection but help the body produce antibodies and other protection.
This stimulation of the body’s own defences is the best way to fight many diseases.
The development of vaccines has been a triumph for scientists and the pharmaceutical industry, researching and producing them in a short time.
Two vaccines are in regular use and more are in the pipeline.
The vaccines have been approved as safe for use and have a high degree of effectiveness in preventing serious disease from Covid.
The vaccines require two separate doses and the interval between first and second doses has been extended on advice of the UK’s four chief medical officers.
This was done in order to enable more people to get the vaccine as quickly as possible, and one dose does offer good protection.
A vaccination schedule has been developed nationally, with those most at risk of serious disease vaccinated first.
All adults will be invited for vaccination, starting with the oldest and as the weeks go by, younger groups will be invited.
I would encourage everyone who is invited to take up the offer of vaccination.
You will receive an invitation for vaccination and there is no need to ask your GP before getting an invitation.
Do watch out for scammers, though, pretending to offer a vaccination, but really after money or information about you.
The vaccination is free, and you do not need to give out sensitive information.
Vaccination will make a huge contribution to ending the pandemic.
However, it will not be successful on its own and we do need to continue with other measures.
We need to remember that the vaccine can take some weeks to start to give protection.
Also, while vaccination is effective in preventing serious illness in the person who has the vaccine, we still don’t know whether it is effective in stopping the virus spreading.
So, for the moment, whether we have been vaccinated or not, we need to keep social distance, wash our hands and follow all the guidance.
That will give more time for the vaccine protection to reach more people and hasten the end of the pandemic.
- Dr Tim Allison is director of public health and policy at NHS Highland.
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