Is the COVID-19 vaccine the most useless vaccine ever made? It is not my writing style to start an article with the same line from its title. In this case, I have to. The present circumstance leaves me no choice. On 17th July, the British Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, tested positive for COVID-19. Being infected with COVID-19 is not a joke. But the curious thing is that Mr. Javid has received the recommended two-dose COVID-19 vaccine. Mr. Javid is not the first person to get two doses of the vaccine to contract the virus. Why is this the case?
The effectiveness of vaccines is supposed to be an unbiased science. For example, take vaccines for measles, polio, or smallpox. The efficacy of these vaccines is by no means in doubt. Anti-vaxxers do not even question their effectiveness. According to the Lancet, the efficacy rate of vaccines used in the West are potentially up to 94%.
COVID-19 Vaccine & Breakthrough Infections
What about breakthrough infections? According to the CDC, a COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infection is defined as “the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antigen in a respiratory specimen collected from a person ≥14 days after they have completed all recommended doses of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized COVID-19 vaccine.”
In fairness to the vaccine companies, they advised the public that the vaccines would not make you free of the virus. The vaccine ensures that people did not come down with serious side effects from the virus. That is fine. But what if the virus mutates and becomes so lethal that vaccines do not work, i.e., protecting people from coming down with severe side-effects of the virus.
In the meantime, the World Health Organization urges even fully vaccinated individuals to continue wearing masks. And, of course, practice other Covid-19 pandemic safety measures as the highly contagious delta variant spreads rapidly across the globe. People do not feel safe simply because they have received both doses. They still have to take care of themselves to escape the pingdemic.
Back to Sajid Javid. Because Mr. Javid had been in contact with the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, they both had to isolate (even though both men tried to avoid isolating). The Prime Minister and the Chancellor are now in isolation. Both men have been double jabbed. In addition, the Prime Minister has had the virus. So, why is he isolating?
In the future, we have to watch and see what happens. However, does every person in the world need the vaccine to break the chain of transmission? The problem seems intractable – a wicked one. Especially if living with the virus is not going to be a choice. The pingdemic continues in the United Kingdom.
The Uncertainty about this virus and the vaccine is just mind boggling.