As of March 2021, scientists embarked on a race to produce COVID-19 vaccines that are reliable and effective at generating an immune response. As a result, Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, and a few others have been authorized for emergency use across the globe and approximately 20 vaccines have reached the final testing stages, with 70 others that are on clinical trials on humans. Now more than ever, people are looking forward to finally being able to live in a safe world like before, going to work or school, traveling, and hugging loved ones without fear of falling ill.
Although it is likely to take time for such hope to become reality due to the uncertainty and limited levels of immunity across the population, we could still appreciate and quantify the health, social, and economic benefits that COVID-19 vaccines and immunization programs could bring to the daily life of individuals and society as a whole. How would our daily life change after the vaccines?
Safety measures
Several studies have indicated that vaccination is the key to reduce future COVID-19 outbreaks, even without an extensive protection against infection. The current vaccines do offer protection on an individual level, preventing symptoms or getting severely ill. However, during such a long and large process of immunization, not everybody gets vaccinated at the same time, those waiting need to be protected, and it also takes time for the immune response to be effective against COVID-19. Therefore, people who have been vaccinated should continue to follow public health guidelines by wearing masks, physical distancing, avoiding large gatherings and travels, cleaning, and handwashing frequently. Furthermore, daily activities such as going to the movies and eating in a restaurant will depend on the uptake of the vaccine and the level of infection in the community. More studies are needed to see how well and for how long the vaccines work, if they can prevent asymptomatic cases and variants, and how much transmission is happening in certain communities. Until the unknowns are clear, proper precautions and safety measures are required.
Roles
Active community engagement is crucial for powerful COVID-19 response and vaccine roll-out. In order to bring potential hope for a return to some kind of normality, every contributing member of the society at local, regional, and national levels should engage. The public is a complex combination of individuals, families, and other groups of different contexts, experiences, expectations, and values; policy makers need to understand this diversity and adopt corresponding approaches. This would then give communities a voice and secure other necessary resources to put ideas into action. Moreover, the authorities should make sure that communication with different networks is effectively done, because the local leaders influence decision making and can gain deeper insight into local challenges and opportunities, while establishing trust with the public. In addition, community leaders across various categories (cultural identities, online communities, teachers, sports and youth clubs), third sectors (non-profit, non-governmental, and youth organizations), as well as community clinics should develop and strengthen networks within the public. The key responsibilities involve identifying trusted communication channels, local influencers, and at-risk groups, defining content to be available in diverse formats, and working with regional public health and community services to implement and monitor vaccination progress and programs. Experts are also encouraging the public to stay hopeful and prioritize the vaccination to first protect themselves and the whole community, but also to reduce the health, social, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, saving lives and livelihoods. Such strategies for a meaningful engagement with diverse communities will allow successful COVID-19 vaccines roll-out.
Teenagers and education
According to the United Nations, the COVID-19 pandemic has created one of the worst disruptions of education systems in history, causing 1.6 billion students from more than 190 countries and all continents to face challenges in their learning journey. Closure of schools and remote learning have impacted 94% of the globe’s student population, even 99% in low-income countries. The crisis also reduced opportunities for vulnerable groups like children, youth, and adults, especially those in poor or rural areas, girls, refugees, and disabled. Likewise, the education disruption is likely to continue and impact everyone beyond just the education. The pandemic has had significant effects on students’ academic, social, physical, and emotional aspects.
The approach to protecting learning spaces would look a little different than other adult-based communities since children make up a large portion of the school population. Although the situation differs a lot in various parts of the world, the coronavirus vaccines are expected to allow the schools to fully reopen and get back to normal learning environments. While children and teenagers are one of the last ones to get vaccinated and have a lower risk of getting seriously sick with COVID-19 compared with older adults, the potential danger is noteworthy. Therefore, it is crucial for adults to get vaccinated and be immunized against the virus so that younger generations could be protected in turn. Gradually, children will be able to engage entirely in in-person learning, activities, and events, and the first step towards this change is: ensuring an effective vaccination.