Vaccination is a great fall classic. This year, again, Covid-19 will be one of the viruses that will invade homes. Lara Kotlar, spokesperson for AVIQ (Walloon Agency for Quality Life), discusses the importance of getting vaccinated.
Maybe you or someone you know has already caught covid this year. If not, it could happen. To avoid getting sick, it is often recommended to get vaccinated. But against the coronavirus, is it still relevant?
Lara Kotlar is spokesperson for the Walloon Agency for Quality Life (AVIQ). According to her, if vaccination has become almost a habit for some against the flu, vaccination against covid has not yet completely become part of normal practice.
However, this virus has indeed become a “seasonal disease”. “We see that there is an upsurge,” says Carole Fontenoy’s guest for the show “Capital Santé”. “At this stage, we are still in the green zone, we are not at alert level but that means that little by little, we are seeing that there are more consultations with doctors, that there are more positive tests and then in the wastewater, we spotted more traces and so we have to start being vigilant.” In order to prevent the disease, screenings are still relevant. Tests can also be done at home, in pharmacies or even in supermarkets.
“Protect others”
It therefore appears that this is an ideal time to get vaccinated. Like some vaccines, the vaccine will not prevent you from getting sick, it is especially useful to avoid contracting a serious form of the disease. What is it for then? “There are some vaccines that prevent the disease, but for the flu, Covid, this is not the case”specifies Lara Kotlar. “The goal is really to avoid contracting a serious form but also to protect others.”
Vaccinated people may possibly have “small reactions” to this vaccine, as a “small cold”. “It’s a cold and therefore we are not in serious shape”, pour interlocutor continues. “We avoid complications, we avoid hospitalizations and then we will protect the environment and the weakest people. This is why we are also targeting the recommendation of the vaccine, even if everyone can be vaccinated. “
The WHO (World Health Organization) recalls that each year, two to three million lives are saved thanks to vaccination. “For those who still have fears about the vaccine and who do not really know what is in it, you should know that the products are tested” and it is possible that some have secondary effects. If this is the case, you will need to contact a doctor.
What to remember about vaccination:
- The importance of vaccination: it helps prevent serious forms of influenza and Covid and protect vulnerable people and reduce hospitalizations.
- Covid upsurge: Coronavirus is treated as a seasonal illness, similar to other respiratory illnesses. This leads to more consultations, more positive tests and traces in wastewater.
- Actions to follow in the event of infection: Test yourself, use home tests, apply barrier gestures (cough into your elbow, wash your hands, wear a mask). Quarantine is no longer compulsory, but allows you to avoid contaminating colleagues, for example.
- The priority target groups are people over 65, people who are immunocompromised or with chronic illnesses, and healthcare workers. Pregnant women are encouraged to be vaccinated to protect their babies (example: vaccination against whooping cough).
- Where to get vaccinated? At your general practitioner, in a pharmacy, by home nurses or midwives.
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