By Koy Flores
With the advent of the winter brings stark storms that open the door to prowling diseases like COVID-19. When your body is cold, your immune system has to work harder to fight off bacteria and potentially deadly diseases, yet it’s becoming easier to receive free vaccinations. Here’s why you might consider being vaccinated this fall.
BA 2.86 is a new strain that may make people who have either had COVID, or who have been vaccinated in the past more susceptible to reinfection. Scientists have continued their efforts to fend off the virus as it evolves.
Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist of Fred Hutch Cancer Center, stated in an interview with CBS news,
“If BA 2.86 becomes dominant, the strains’ mutations could be enough to make those shots a poor match to fend off infections from the virus.”
Some are opposed to vaccines altogether due to religious beliefs, which is a protection governed by both the First Amendment and Title XII of the Civil Rights Act.
It was discovered that cardiac complications were higher after contracting SARS- Cov 2 (2020) than for those who took the mRNA COVID Vaccination, this includes males and females of all groups. This means that there is a higher risk for people with heart problems avoiding the vaccine, than those who would receive it.
There is also discussion on whether someone who’s already been vaccinated in the past should receive this updated one. Aren’t they already immune?
Chief Medical Executive of Michigan, Natasha Bagdasarian, said this in regards to people who have already received a Covid vaccine.
“Most people receive some immunity after getting vaccinated, but our number of antibodies declines over time, especially during winter,” said Bagdasarian. “The new vaccine targets new variants as the virus evolves.”
Bagdasarian explained why people are more prone to sickness during the winter, specifically COVID.
“Viruses thrive in two environments: In surfaces with cold and dry environments and where people gather indoors in poorly ventilated surfaces,” said Bagdasarian.
She also compared the virus to influenza for its increased rate in contractions during the cold months.
COVID vaccines work because after the injection, the body uses messenger mRNA to build a DNA blueprint in order to make spike proteins needed for cellular activity, these fight off Covid.
On the grounds of the safety in taking the vaccine, Bagdasarian assured that the COVID vaccine has gone through clinical trials and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She also said that it will have to be reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before it can be widely distributed to the public.
She also mentioned that health professionals are recommending a move towards annual vaccinations for everyone, in order to continue targeting the newest virus strain.
