Unless enough people take vaccine, population immunity won’t happen: GP

My opinion is this: if you have been very careful for nine months and have got this far, I’d be careful for another two or three months.

Christmas is a magical time where we gather for religious services and with family. Hopefully, we will be gathering next year and for many years after that.

Being careful this year might be the thing that ensures future health and happiness for your family.

Most religious services are available on webcam and, if you are in a high risk or elderly group, you are still very much at risk and probably should avoid potential large gatherings.

Remember: the virus quietens down when we are careful but spreads quickly again once we mix. Just because we are allowed to do something doesn’t mean we should stop being careful.

For once, I’m appealing not because of the health service, but because there is an end in sight and we don’t want anyone else to die now at the eleventh hour.

Now, we have two vaccines arriving.

The first Pfizer vaccine will be administered by the Trust to healthcare professionals. This could happen very soon.

The second vaccine developed in Oxford by AstraZeneca is much more stable and does not need to be stored at very low temperatures.

It is hoped that GPs, with help and support, will deliver this vaccine. It will be delivered firstly to those over 80, then progressively to other groups, depending on supplies.

You will need two jabs, four weeks apart.

I have read the information and study data in the newspapers and medical journals and, as far as I can see, the vaccines appear to be safe and effective. Public health will provide more information in due course.

In order for a population to develop herd immunity, the vast majority of that population must be immune to the virus. The virus then dies off because it does not have enough people to live in.

The only way to achieve this is if enough people get the illness or enough people get vaccinated. These are the only two ways to develop antibodies to the virus.

I concede that there is a strong anti-vaccination feeling among some people and that’s understandable. The severity of the illness and the effects on our day to day life mean we want a solution as soon as we can. Taking a vaccination or not is a personal choice but, unless enough people take the vaccine, we will not develop population immunity.

There are still many unknowns regarding the virus. It might change, meaning a slightly different vaccine is needed next year.

Have a safe Christmas and stick around for next year and the next year and the next year.

Dr Paul Molloy is a general practitioner working in Derry.