The Turnstone: talking about vaccines #21
The Turnstone: talking about vaccines #21
Omicron, boosters and vaccine equity (3 minute read)
Welcome to The Turnstone: talking about vaccines. Here, I share resources to help you have kind and non-judgemental conversations with people who are uncertain about, or opposed to, vaccination. I send The Turnstone out every Sunday - if you’d like them emailed to you directly, you can sign up to my mailing list.
This month I’ve looked at Omicron, boosters and vaccine equity – three topics that are closely linked.
The Omicron variant is still a threat
As Omicron continues to spread, we are learning more about it. Omicron does indeed appear to be milder than the Delta variant, but it cannot be described as mild. The following two articles summarise what is known. The first is from the World Health Organisation, and looks at some common myths about Omicron. The second gives an excellent overview of what we know about the severity and symptoms of Omicron. It also considers how much of Omicron's milder appearance can be attributed to the fact that it is mostly infecting populations that have high rates of prior infection, high rates of vaccination, or both.
Omicron mythbusters from the World Health Organisation (7 minute read)
WHO/Europe | Health emergencies - The Omicron variant: sorting fact from myth
Omicron overview (10 minute read and 4 minute podcast)
Is the omicron variant less severe? And what are its symptoms? : Shots - Health News : NPR
Booster doses help against the Omicron variant
Although the information is still preliminary, it seems clear that receiving a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine like the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine improves immunity against the Omicron variant. I have included two short articles here. The first is the best simple explanation about booster doses and immunity against Omicron. The second is less easy to read, but it's one of the most recent summaries available.
How long does a COVID booster shot offer protection against omicron? : Goats and Soda : NPR (3 minute read)
COVID-19 vaccine & booster effectiveness against omicron: 12 CDC findings (beckershospitalreview.com) (3 minute read)
Inequality in Covid-19 vaccination remains a serious problem.
In wealthy countries booster doses are being recommended for those who are at very low risk of serious illness from Covid-19. On the other hand, many people in lower income countries have not yet had a single dose of any Covid-19 vaccine. I've included a few resources here to help with understanding the problem.
This United Nations Development Programme dashboard gives an excellent overview of how countries in different income categories are doing in terms of vaccination rates. It also considers issues like affordability and the unequal economic impacts.
Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity - UNDP Data Futures Platform
Latest statement on vaccine equity from the World Health Organisation (4 minute read)
COVID-19: New Year brings renewed WHO appeal for vaccine equity | | UN News
Detailed statement on vaccine prioritisation and booster doses from the World Health Organisation. This has a bit of technical language so it isn't easy to follow. However, it's worth a look if you are interested in the topic. (12 minute read)
Interim statement on booster doses for COVID-19 vaccination (who.int)
Equity in vaccination is in everyone’s best interests
It is unlikely to be a coincidence that the Omicron variant emerged in the least vaccinated part of the world. The more Covid-19 spreads unchecked, the more likely new variants are to emerge. Vaccine equity isn’t just a matter of being compassionate to our fellow humans. It’s a matter of self-interest. (4 minute read)
It’s difficult to know what we can, personally, do about the ongoing problem of vaccine equity. My concern about vaccine equity is not so great that I’m willing to forgo a booster, not when Omicron is looming and I’m in contact with medically vulnerable people. I know that many others feel the same.
One thing that individuals can do is donate to support the COVAX initiative to deliver vaccine doses to lower income countries. It doesn’t address the issue of supply, but it does help with the funding.
Donate to COVAX through UNICEF
Join The Race To End The Pandemic | COVAX | UNICEF NZ | UNICEF Aotearoa
Donate to COVAX through Go Give One
Go Give One - Vaccines for everyone, everywhere
This year, I will be sending out The Turnstone once a week. Every two weeks, I will send an original article. On one of the alternate weeks I will send out “Talking about vaccines”, like this one. On the other week I will share something about climate change, called “Talking about climate change”. The focus will be conversations we can have and actions to take on climate change.
Let me know what you think in the comment box below. And if you know someone who might find this article interesting, please share it with them.