Covid-19 jabs best protection against virus despite reinfections and transmission
SINGAPORE - The latest increase in community cases is a stark warning to people not to become become complacent once they have received both vaccine jabs.
Yes, the vaccine does give significant protection, but even at best, that's 95 per cent protection against severe illness.
What this means is that out of 20 people within the country who have been fully vaccinated, one could get very sick with Covid-19 should transmission occur.
Others might get infected and be mildly sick or even have no symptoms, but there is no guarantee that they won't pass the virus on to someone else.
Furthermore, even with the same vaccine, the level of neutralising antibodies varies with individuals. Some will get higher protection than others.
And this is with reference to the basic viral strain before mutations complicate the equation.
While most of the vaccines in use are believed to give some protection against mutations, the level of protection can vary.
This is especially so for the three variants of concern, namely the B117 from the United Kingdom, the B1351 from South Africa and the P1 from Brazil. These mutated viral strains are believed to spread more easily and cause more severe illness.
And all three variants of concern have been identified here from imported Covid-19 cases. Hopefully, none has leaked into the community.
Still, vaccinations remain critical as they provide an important protective layer, experts said.
They not only reduce risk of severe illness, but also help to break the chain of transmission should there be an outbreak.
Associate Professor Hsu Liyang from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health said: "People who are symptomatic are more likely to spread Covid-19 than those who are asymptomatic."
So if only about one in 10 people infected gets sick, there will be far fewer people spreading the disease.
Professor Ooi Eng Eong of Duke-NUS agreed that "the best way to safeguard our individual health and, at the same time, reduce the risk of outbreaks in Singapore is to have as many as possible vaccinated and thus protected from Covid-19".
This is especially so for older people with underlying medical problems that could cause them to suffer more severe illness should they get infected.
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Experts also urged that safety measures such as the wearing of masks, social distancing and frequently washing or sanitising hands be kept up even as more people here get vaccinated.
As at April 18, more than 1.36 million people here have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 850,000 have had both.
Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the NUS school, said: "We have always known that the vaccination does not provide absolute protection from infection... I expect we will see a few cases of vaccine breakthrough."
He added: "This is the reason why vaccination alone is not the answer to ensuring a good control of the outbreak, and there is a need to couple that with sound public health measures like mask wearing and being conscientious about our own health status."
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New Covid-19 clusters: Who's in the TTSH and ICA officer-linked clusters
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SINGAPORE - The latest increase in community cases is a stark warning to people not to become become complacent once they have received both vaccine jabs.
Yes, the vaccine does give significant protection, but even at best, that's 95 per cent protection against severe illness.
What this means is that out of 20 people within the country who have been fully vaccinated, one could get very sick with Covid-19 should transmission occur.
Others might get infected and be mildly sick or even have no symptoms, but there is no guarantee that they won't pass the virus on to someone else.
Furthermore, even with the same vaccine, the level of neutralising antibodies varies with individuals. Some will get higher protection than others.
And this is with reference to the basic viral strain before mutations complicate the equation.
While most of the vaccines in use are believed to give some protection against mutations, the level of protection can vary.
This is especially so for the three variants of concern, namely the B117 from the United Kingdom, the B1351 from South Africa and the P1 from Brazil. These mutated viral strains are believed to spread more easily and cause more severe illness.
And all three variants of concern have been identified here from imported Covid-19 cases. Hopefully, none has leaked into the community.
Still, vaccinations remain critical as they provide an important protective layer, experts said.
They not only reduce risk of severe illness, but also help to break the chain of transmission should there be an outbreak.
Associate Professor Hsu Liyang from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health said: "People who are symptomatic are more likely to spread Covid-19 than those who are asymptomatic."
So if only about one in 10 people infected gets sick, there will be far fewer people spreading the disease.
Professor Ooi Eng Eong of Duke-NUS agreed that "the best way to safeguard our individual health and, at the same time, reduce the risk of outbreaks in Singapore is to have as many as possible vaccinated and thus protected from Covid-19".
This is especially so for older people with underlying medical problems that could cause them to suffer more severe illness should they get infected.
Post-Covid-19 vaccine infections and reinfections could happen, say experts
askST: What is a 'double-mutant' Covid-19 variant and should I be worried?
Experts also urged that safety measures such as the wearing of masks, social distancing and frequently washing or sanitising hands be kept up even as more people here get vaccinated.
As at April 18, more than 1.36 million people here have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 850,000 have had both.
Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the NUS school, said: "We have always known that the vaccination does not provide absolute protection from infection... I expect we will see a few cases of vaccine breakthrough."
He added: "This is the reason why vaccination alone is not the answer to ensuring a good control of the outbreak, and there is a need to couple that with sound public health measures like mask wearing and being conscientious about our own health status."
New Covid-19 clusters: Who's in the TTSH and ICA officer-linked clusters
Covid-19 vaccine: How many doses have been administered in S'pore and around the world
RELATED STORIES:
