tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Brain Behav Immun Health
. 2021 Jan 20;100204.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100204. Online ahead of print.
Vaccines are not yet a silver bullet: The imperative of continued communication about the importance of COVID-19 safety measures
Zhaohui Su[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jun Wen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Dean McDonnell[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Edmund Goh[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Xiaoshan Li[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sabina Šegalo[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Junaid Ahmad[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Ali Cheshmehzangi[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Yu-Tao Xiang[SUP] 8 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
COVID-19 vaccines are by no means a silver bullet. With more COVID-19 vaccines expecting approval in the coming months, it is necessary to note that vaccine availability does not equate to vaccine accessibility, nor vaccine efficacy. Some research suggests that approximately 9 out of 10 individuals living in lower-income countries will not have access to COVID-19 vaccines until 2023 or later. For higher-income countries, such as the United States, the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy may further compound the situation. These insights combined, in turn, emphasize the fact that even though COVID-19 vaccines are becoming more available, safety measures (e.g., face masks, personal hygiene, and social distancing) are still of pivotal importance in protecting personal and public health against COVID-19. Furthermore, this paper argues for the continued imperative for health experts and government officials to communicate and emphasize the importance of COVID-19 safety measures with the public, to make sure people are protected against COVID-19 till the pandemic ceases to pose a threat to personal or public health.
Keywords: COVID-19; coronavirus; face masks; health communication; safety measures; social distancing.
. 2021 Jan 20;100204.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100204. Online ahead of print.
Vaccines are not yet a silver bullet: The imperative of continued communication about the importance of COVID-19 safety measures
Zhaohui Su[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jun Wen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Dean McDonnell[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Edmund Goh[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Xiaoshan Li[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Sabina Šegalo[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Junaid Ahmad[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Ali Cheshmehzangi[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Yu-Tao Xiang[SUP] 8 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33495754
- PMCID: PMC7817456
- DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100204
Abstract
COVID-19 vaccines are by no means a silver bullet. With more COVID-19 vaccines expecting approval in the coming months, it is necessary to note that vaccine availability does not equate to vaccine accessibility, nor vaccine efficacy. Some research suggests that approximately 9 out of 10 individuals living in lower-income countries will not have access to COVID-19 vaccines until 2023 or later. For higher-income countries, such as the United States, the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy may further compound the situation. These insights combined, in turn, emphasize the fact that even though COVID-19 vaccines are becoming more available, safety measures (e.g., face masks, personal hygiene, and social distancing) are still of pivotal importance in protecting personal and public health against COVID-19. Furthermore, this paper argues for the continued imperative for health experts and government officials to communicate and emphasize the importance of COVID-19 safety measures with the public, to make sure people are protected against COVID-19 till the pandemic ceases to pose a threat to personal or public health.
Keywords: COVID-19; coronavirus; face masks; health communication; safety measures; social distancing.