If you haven’t taken vaccine yet, about time to get it

Representational image. Pic/iStock

It has been a year since the COVID-19 vaccination drive began and yet, a number of citizens are still coming to vaccination centres for their first dose.

In March, an average of 1,316 citizens, including around 720 adults, received their first dose daily. These are mostly people who had not taken the vaccines out of fear or had gone to their hometowns in other states, had allergies or were in critical condition after contracting COVID. There are other reasons like old age and pregnancy. There were the anti-vaxxers who may have now changed their minds seeing that there has not been any serious side effect of the vaccines.

We say it is better late than never and centres must continue offering vaccines to all who are coming in now too, even at a time when boosters may start for other age groups.

We have seen how vaccines benefit the recipients, with experts warning anti-vaxxers repeatedly about severity and death risk which are cut hugely when vaccines are taken. We have examples of those who have suffered grievously by shunning the vaccines and statistics of the dead show us that the fatalities are much higher among the unvaccinated.

Those who had not taken the vaccine for any reason whatsoever should be actively encouraged to take the opportunity to go to the centre and get their vaccine.

Though cases are on the decline in India, we must pay heed to caution which says that COVID-19 is not done yet. There is a global surge and we cannot say, though one certainly hopes, that India is not caught up in the virus vortex once again. There are predictions of a fourth wave in India in June, though of course nobody can say this is going to happen without a doubt.

Get the jab, for the vaccine window is still open.