2021 kicked off to a good start. We all came to know that 2 vaccines have been given the emergency approval and we all saw the photos of medical professionals and frontline workers getting the corona vaccine in India. The case count is dwindling and February recorded the fewest number of new infections in the past 8 months.  

Things are slowly and surely improving. There’s hope that the whole country will be vaccinated by the end of the year. We have all had a very hard time throughout 2020. Lots of restrictions, lots of plans being cancelled, job losses, and many people lost their loved ones. Naturally, now that we know that vaccination is underway, we feel happy and hopeful. Many of you must be wondering if normalcy can resume once we are all administered the COVID vaccine in India.

Can we return to our earlier lifestyle after the corona vaccine in India is administered?

Most medical experts will tell you that the world has changed forever. The life we used to live cannot be brought back. Don’t let your hearts sink. The good news is that the vaccines have been found to be effective and the time will come when we will all possibly be safe from COVID.

But there is a lot that we still don’t understand about COVID-19 and COVID vaccines for that matter. Scientists and researchers have insufficient data. 

At this moment, after all the clinical trials across the world spanning the year 2020 and involving hundreds to thousands of people, what scientists know for sure is that the vaccines trigger an immunogenic response, which means that our bodies will produce antibodies when it recognizes the coronavirus. Most of these COVID vaccines have been proven to be highly effective in preventing a coronavirus infection.

So why are scientists saying that normalcy may not be restored even after we get the corona vaccine in India? That’s because there’s a lot of fogginess surrounding these questions-

Complete immunisation with covid vaccine and a booster dose helps people maintain strong protection from severe coronavirus, enhancing the antibody response and thus allowing the person to resume normal life with more confidence.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.

• How long will the corona vaccine of India be effective?
• Will people need fresh doses of the COVID vaccine again after an interval?
• And if booster doses are necessary, how soon after the first 2 doses, will the booster doses be administered? 
• Since the coronavirus is evolving rapidly, will the corona vaccine of India be effective against the future mutant COVID strain?
• Will COVID vaccines prevent asymptomatic infections?

What are scientists planning on doing?

The vaccination program has been unrolled in almost all countries. Researchers, medical experts, and scientists will minutely monitor the population. As time elapses, they will come to know how effective the COVID vaccines are in real life. In all likelihood, there will be more trials to determine how long the COVID vaccine stays effective. But we may have to wait at least a year before the experts give us an answer. 

If enough people are immunised, immunisations can also stop pathogens infecting whole populations. This is called herd immunity. Once the herd immunity is developed there wont be so much transmissibility of viruses as previously seen in small pox eradication, but preventive measures needs to be continued.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD

What should you do in the meantime?

It would be wrong to not follow all precautions as soon as you get vaccinated. The nature of the COVID virus is unpredictable. So until we get all the answers, for your own safety and that of your loved ones, continue wearing masks, social distancing and follow all cleanliness and sanitation measures. They can protect you from any mutant COVID strain even if the vaccine can’t. It is best to continue to be on our guard and follow all precautions after vaccination.  

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