The vaccination process, which started in many countries, including Turkia, brought along many discussions with it. Should we be vaccinated? Which vaccine is the best? Will we have a vaccine choice? When will it be our turn? When will the restrictions be lifted? Will the vaccine end the pandemic worldwide? In this article, we will seek answers to these questions.

 

First of all, I have to point this out. I'm not an expert on this subject. However, I can say that I created my own logic by reading the articles written by experts. Let's get right to the answers to the questions. I will try to write the answers in a non-technical, easy-to-understand language.

Should we be vaccinated?

We definitely should. Even vaccines with a 50% success rate are better than nothing. There are also vaccines (BioNTech, Moderna) with a 95% success rate. The Chinese vaccine coming to Turkia is also very controversial. No need to argue about it though. Having this vaccine, which is made with the classical vaccine methodology, is a better option than nothing. The possibility of providing yourself with at least a certain amount of protection for a while should not be thrown back.

 

Which vaccine is the best?

BioNTech, which made a deal with Pfizer and released its vaccine, is the best in my opinion for two reasons. First, their M-RNA method is a new vaccine technology applied to viruses. To put it simply, it prevents the Covid-19 virus from surviving by removing the virus that has entered the cell and/or closing the entrance of the cell, that is, it eliminates the virus. The success rate declared as 95% by Pfizer and BioNTech shows how effective the vaccine can be against the Covid-19 outbreak. The reason why I prefer Biontech's vaccine over Moderna, which uses the same methodology, is the trust I have in Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci. It is a vaccine produced with a German mentality without compromising standards, and the personality of this couple makes me fully trust the vaccine they have produced.

 

Will we have a vaccine choice?

It looks like we won't. Currently, only the Chinese vaccine has arrived in Turkia. We don't know if other vaccines will come. If it comes and we have a choice, I would prefer to have BioNTech's vaccine. Of course, if they say, "You have to get a Chinese vaccine, you don't have a choice," there's nothing we can do, as this vaccine is better than no vaccine.

If there is an opportunity to get the BioNTech vaccine abroad, this may be an alternative for me personally. For the moment, we will proceed in the same way that is valid in the country.

 

 

Are the vaccines on the market also effective against the mutated Covid-19 virus?

Frankly, I do not know the status of all vaccines, but it is written in the reports that BioNTech's vaccine is also effective in eliminating variants of the virus. I would even like to share an article on this subject: BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine found effective against Covid-19 variant | Financial Times (ft.com)

As stated in this article, they reported that BioNTech showed the same effect for the transformed virus, and if it did not, they could release a different version of the vaccine in a short period of 6 weeks. Long story short, the BioNTech vaccine seems to have a solid back for now, whether the virus mutates or not.

 

Why are the vaccines entering countries late?

There are two reasons for this. The first reason is that vaccine companies distribute according to their production capacity. Billions of people are waiting to be vaccinated, supply is struggling to meet demand. Nevertheless, we read that vaccine companies are doing their best to increase their production capacity.

The second reason is the negotiations between the governments and vaccine companies. None of us know what was discussed in these meetings. There could be any reason for the delays. For example, customs laws may cause delays. Or, the medical approval processes and durations of the vaccine may vary from country to country. This is also a factor. Another example is that while there are governments that care about the interests of their people, there are also some that delay the process so that the ones that need to benefit from this, will. This also varies from country to country.

When will it be our turn?

None of us know this. The priority is, of course, healthcare professionals and the elderly or chronic patients. I will be glad if it is my turn by summer. For now, we will continue to protect ourselves with masks, distance and hygiene. Being patient and continuing to protect ourselves is the best option. At least we see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

When will the restrictions be lifted?

My observation is that as the vaccination progresses, the restrictions will be gradually lifted. We will probably see the restrictions ease in the next 1-2 months. The important thing is to observe that the effects of the epidemic are decreasing. Vaccines will have an important contribution to this process. Restrictions will be gradually lifted as vaccines take effect and the effects of the epidemic lessen.

Will the vaccine end the pandemic?

If everyone gets vaccinated, it will. We are talking about over 8 billion people in the world. This process can take years. Here is a fact. If a significant majority is vaccinated, we can clearly observe that the effect of the pandemic will be broken. But in any case, it is necessary to take precautions.

 

After answering all these questions, I would like to make some requests. I call out to all the people in the world, especially the people of my own country: Now we have a solution to end this pandemic. We don't have the luxury of not being vaccinated. We all need to be vaccinated. We need to be patient about being vaccinated and wait our turn. We will bury the Covid-19 epidemic in the dark pages of history altogether. We can do this!

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