While it is true that it is part of human nature to show reluctance to new medical treatments, or to the use of masks or vaccines, it is necessary to learn from history and discover that sometimes sacrifices must be made for the common good and thus move forward on the road to leaving behind a pandemic like the one we are now experiencing.
This was stated by Sequoia Hospital Medical Director Dieter Bruno during a question and answer session conducted by Casa Circulo Culturalwhere he noted that those eligible for a third dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine should do so.
"There are different reasons for the third booster dose," he said, such is the case for those who are immunocompromised, as well as for those 65 and older, and those who for work-related reasons are at higher risk.
During the program "La Voz de Nuestras Raíces" the doctor said that the third dose or Pfizer's booster has been accepted after it was found that in certain groups of individuals it was detected that the immunity of the vaccine decreased over time, and that because of their conditions they could be more prone to become infected.
Those who should opt for a third dose, he explained, are health care workers, firefighters, police officers, nursing facility staff, people who are in education such as teachers or day care staff, or those who work in the food sector and agricultural workers.
Also, civil servants, postal workers, grocery store clerks, those who work in public transportation and others in the service industry. "There are a number of different at-risk occupations that would benefit from this.
Dr. Dieter Bruno pointed out that, in the case of pregnant women, there is no difference, since they do not need a "booster" or reinforcement if they are not within the established parameters, either by immunocompromised system or work condition.
He reiterated that vaccines do not prevent infection, but they do prevent people from dying from severe COVID-19 disease, hence the importance of the first two doses in the case of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, or one dose for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Recently, the FDA has licensed a third or "bosster" dose for Moderna's vaccine, as well as a second dose in Johnson & Johnson's, while still debating whether to license Pfizer's vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
He also recommended people not to wait to look for a specific vaccine, and get the one they have "at hand", because the intention is to be forewarned against the advance of the Delta variant, which continues to advance.
However, he said, while it is true that the decision to get a vaccine or not is a personal one, the mutations of the virus will continue to advance as long as there are people who do not opt for what, so far, is the only way to stop a virus that we do not know how much longer we will have to live with.
"We don't know because we're still dealing with a vulnerability primarily because of the fact that there are still a number of people who are not vaccinated. This gives the virus the ability to mutate more easily, so whether or not it goes away in a year or two, or whether it will be seasonal like the flu, we may need different types of boosters, but this situation remains to be seen," he said.
In view of this, he clarified that vaccination against other diseases such as pneumonia, does not help to prevent infection by COVID-19, nor does it make the symptoms less severe.
"There are really very few reasons not to be vaccinated at this point, just a few very few medical conditions where vaccination might be dangerous, but those are very limited," he said.
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