10 important reasons why young people should get vaccinated

About 30 percent. Poles do not want to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This applies largely to young people. In the United States, the proportion of young vaccine skeptics is even greater. Although 250 million doses of the vaccine have already been administered there, American doctors are constantly appealing to young people to get vaccinated. – You’re not indestructible. I know that when you are young you feel untouchable. But it is not so, says Dr. Paul Offit.

1. A recent study in the US showed that the group most responsible for spreading the coronavirus is people aged 20-49
2. At the same time, as much as 36 percent. Americans under the age of 35 are reluctant to be vaccinated against COVID-19
3. Scientists there believe that the United States will not achieve herd immunity unless enough young people are vaccinated
4. So they made a list of 10 reasons why young, healthy people should get vaccinated as soon as possible
5. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

COVID-19 doesn’t have to kill you to ruin your life

“For young people who believe that the risk of having a severe COVID-19 course is low, the long-term consequences can be very serious,” said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health. Collins emphasizes that the so-called «Long COVID (persistent and serious health problems resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection)» is a good reason to encourage all people over the age of 16 to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

In the United States, approximately 2,5 people have died from the coronavirus. (out of the total number of 593 thousand) people under 30 years of age. However, there is an increased risk of serious and long-term complications in young people.

– I cannot calculate how many people in their 20s, 30s and 40s I have looked after in the ER. They managed to get out of the hospital, but very often have ongoing breathing difficulties, says Dr. Megan Ranney, MD, PhD.

– They cannot regain their taste and smell, which makes them lose weight because they do not enjoy eating. They are also getting brain fog – adds Ranney.

The doctor emphasizes that there is still a misconception among young people that “I am young, I am resistant”.

As noted by Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, the effects of coronavirus infection in some young people have been going on for a year. And they’re extremely debilitating.

– What would I tell young people? COVID-19 doesn’t have to kill you to ruin your life, emphasizes Dr. Reiner.

A strong, healthy immune system can prove fatal

As emphasized by American doctors, young, early healthy patients often experience a cytokine storm resulting from COVID-19 infection.

A cytokine storm is an overreaction of the immune system, which attacks the body’s own cells, which can lead to inflammation and even death.

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“ We have seen many cases where young people in their XNUMXs come to our hospital and have to undergo ECMO (a type of lung and / or heart replacement prosthesis) for up to several weeks because they have cardiomyopathy, which is a response to a cytokine storm, says Reiner. .

– This is similar to the 1918 flu pandemic. The death curve was U-shaped. The youngest and the oldest died, for a variety of reasons. The cause of the death of young people was an excessively strong immune response, i.e. a cytokine storm, says Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphi.

Vaccinated young people will keep everyone safe

The more a virus spreads, the more it mutates. And subsequent mutations can lead to the emergence of new strains that current vaccines cannot cope with.

This is the case with the Brazilian P.1 and South African B.1.351 viruses, which are said to be “escaping” to some extent from immunity.

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Current vaccines still work against these strains and also against the highly contagious British variant, but variants may arise that we may not be so lucky with, Ranney said.

According to the doctor, populations should be vaccinated as soon as possible, before the coronavirus mutates into strains that cannot be stopped with vaccines.

Vaccination will help the economy

Restaurants, cinemas and sports facilities remain fully or partially closed. Not only because the number of COVID-19 cases is still high, but also because not enough people have been vaccinated.

Vaccination can help make young people safer and reopen more businesses and venues. It will also help many workers who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

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Some companies in the United States have special promotions for anyone who shows proof of vaccination – these can be free burgers, snacks, or beer.

“If you want to open up America, get vaccinated,” Los Angeles-based internal medicine specialist Dr. Jorge Rodriguez told CNN.

Vaccinations will help save money

The coronavirus pandemic is very expensive. We spend money on doctors, we do not go to work due to the coronavirus, there is a prospect of further expenses for doctors if we get long COVID-19.

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And vaccines? They are for free. “The government is paying for it,” says Dr. Offit. And stresses that doctors cannot understand why some people reject a free, effective and safe vaccine, risking high doctor bills and loss of income due to illness in return.

– If you catch the virus and stay out of work for a long time, how will you pay your bills? Reiner asks.

You’re not getting vaccinated? There will be no dating

“Getting vaccinated or expressing a desire to do so is the most exciting thing you can do,” said Michael Kaye, spokesman for the US dating site OKCupid.

As Kaye points out, website users who answered “yes” to the question “Will you get vaccinated?” Received 25 percent. likes more than people who answered “no” or did not answer anything.

The situation is similar on Tinder. – Within three months, traffic in profiles where there was a mention of the vaccine increased by 258 percent. Tinder spokeswoman Dana Balch said.

Young people may be more at risk of COVID-19 than they think

According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, about one-third of Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 are at risk of severe COVID-19.

According to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 40 percent. US adults have at least one chronic disease that can put them at risk for serious complications. The most common ones are asthma, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, disorders related to the use of psychoactive substances or the effects of long-term smoking.

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In turn, according to a study published in “The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology”, obesity is a major risk factor for the severe effects of COVID-19 infection.

«Overweight people, even without comorbidities, are at a higher risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. This mainly affects young people and African Americans » – the authors of the study write

In turn, according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, people aged 13-24 who used e-cigarettes are five times more likely to contract the coronavirus than non-smokers.

Vaccinations will stop mutations

Unlike the original coronavirus strain, the currently dominant British variant hits young people particularly hard.

“Variant B.1.1.7 has mutations that allow it to more easily bind to cells in the human body,” says Reiner.

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The doctor emphasizes that the British strain can become infected even with a short exposure to the virus. And young people, including those who are not vaccinated, are more likely to participate in social gatherings, thus putting themselves at greater risk of COVID-19 than seniors.

All America needs the young vaccinated

A refusal to vaccinate against COVID-19 affects not only refusers but also their relatives and even the entire population.

First, vaccines aren’t 100 percent. effective. So even if your family and friends are vaccinated and you are not, there is a risk that you can transmit the virus to them, says Offit.

So now that Americans return to crowded bars, concerts and sports events, the need for immunization is even greater.

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Second, it is a mistake to think that anyone who wants a vaccine can get it. Some are on chemotherapy. They cannot be vaccinated, so their fate depends on the herd that protects them or not. The weakest are counting on their countrymen to be vaccinated – adds the doctor.

Vaccines protect children

Current vaccines are not available for people under the age of 16. But children are at risk of the coronavirus, as are adults, especially if it’s the UK variant.

– 11 to 15 percent children are exposed to COVID-19 debts, says Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

Doctors emphasize that everyone who has a child or has contact with them should get vaccinated. This is also important because the number of cases of MIS-C, or Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome in children, is increasing.. MIS-C is often an effect of COVID-19, a condition that requires prompt, multi-disciplinary medical attention.

1. The mysterious COVID-19 disease affects more than just children. Adults also get sick

Many children who develop MIS-C have had coronavirus mild or asymptomatic

– Children are often overlooked when someone in the family has COVID-19. They have no symptoms so nothing is done. A month passes and suddenly they develop a high fever. And behind it, damage to the lungs, liver, kidneys or heart. Then they go to our hospital – says Offit.

– I work in a hospital and have met many people who could not believe what happened to their children – adds the doctor.

Read also:

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