VACCINES: Our Weapon In The Covid-19 Battle.

     

Battling something we have no ability to see is hard, somewhat, overwhelming at times. it feels like you have no basis — no guide that can help you locate your enemy. It's much harder if the battle is not outside, but inside your body. Here is where the vaccines become our greatest weapon. 

    Vaccines have been long used for protection against viruses that are around. The covid-19 vaccine, a newly developed weapon in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic has been in use since it was first released. the government and its people have been urging everyone around them to get vaccinated, but why? 

    First, we must learn what vaccines are, what they are made of, and how they fight the virus. According to the World Health Organization, or WHO, Vaccines contain weakened or inactive parts of a particular organism (antigen) that triggers an immune response within the body. Newer vaccines contain the blueprint for producing antigens rather than the antigen itself. Regardless of whether the vaccine is made up of the antigen itself or the blueprint so that the body will produce the antigen, this weakened version will not cause the disease in the person receiving the vaccine, but it will prompt their immune system to respond much as it would have on its first reaction to the actual pathogen. Each vaccine under development must first undergo screenings and evaluations to determine which antigen should be used to invoke an immune response. This preclinical phase is done without testing on humans. An experimental vaccine is first tested in animals to evaluate its safety and potential to prevent disease. If the vaccine triggers an immune response, it is then tested in human clinical trials in three phases. There are three types of vaccines. The whole microbe approach, The subunit approach, and the genetic approach. Their differences lie in whether they use a whole virus or bacterium; just the parts of the germ that triggers the immune system; or just the genetic material that provides the instructions for making specific proteins and not the whole virus.

As of mid-October 2021, children ages 5 through 11 years have experienced more than 8,300 COVID-19 related hospitalizations and nearly 100 deaths from COVID-19. In fact, COVID-19 ranks as one of the top 10 causes of death for children ages 5 through 11 years. They need protection as much as the adults do. 

    Most children are still developing, therefore, their immune systems are still weak, and in development. giving them protection against the harm of the deadly virus can help secure their future. after all, children are the hopes of this nation. 

REFERENCES: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid-19/covid-19-vaccines

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