Covid-19 Vaccine. Reactions, concerns and government response.

vacuna covid

As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines proceeds across Canada, federal, provincial and territorial authorities work closely together to monitor vaccine safety.  

The number of British Columbia people who received their first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine surpassed 100,000 last week as the province unveiled its plan to vaccinate the general population by the end of September.

As some citizens expressed concerns about adverse reactions, the Public Health Agency of Canada stated that there had been some reports of adverse events following immunization. These include any health problem occurring after immunization but not necessarily caused by the vaccine.

However, only about 1 in 22,000 doses distributed provoked what can be considered a severe allergic reaction.

As the Chief Public Health Officer expressed in a declaration for the media on January 22th:  “All serious events undergo a detailed investigation. To date, no unexpected vaccine safety issues have been identified.”

As indicated in the official representative’s posterior statement, following these measures is essential even after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.  First, it can take up to 14 days after receiving the vaccine to start being effective. Additionally, the two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are between 94-95 percent effective. But  5-6 percent of fully vaccinated people may still develop symptoms.

“Unless and until infection rates are low enough to allow public health authorities to test, trace and isolate effectively, easing restrictions risks even stronger resurgence,” said the official representative. “This is why we must all continue to do our part to slow the spread: that means postponing vacation travel to a better time in the future; avoiding, shortening, or limiting outings and activities to just the essentials; and maintaining handwashing, masking, and spacing to restrict opportunities for the virus to spread.”

Sources:

https://www.canada.ca/

https://www.cbc.ca/

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