Should the elderly get the COVID-19 vaccine? How to get it? One article explains!

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic remains complex and severe. Feng Zijian, former deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, pointed out in a special report titled "How to Face Omicron Rationally": "According to mathematical models, when the first wave of large-scale impact reaches its peak, the infection rate in our population may reach about 60%, and then gradually fall back to a stable period. In the end, 80%-90% of us may experience infection."

Many elderly people are among those at risk of infection. To combat the risk of infection, we must wear masks correctly, wash hands frequently, and maintain social distance in our daily lives. However, vaccination is the best way .

However, some elderly friends may have questions and concerns and are reluctant to get vaccinated. Let’s analyze some common issues in detail.

01

Vaccines are not effective against Omicron

Then don’t fight?

Since the Omicron outbreak, many friends’ confidence in vaccines has been greatly reduced. They think that if it can’t prevent the disease, what’s the point of getting vaccinated?

This view is incorrect. Although it seems that various new crown vaccines are not very effective in preventing Omicron infection, even after three doses, these vaccines have indeed saved lives.

Judging from a large amount of tracking data from various countries, the existing vaccines still have a good protection rate against severe cases . Especially after vaccination with a booster shot, the protection efficiency against Omicron is greatly improved. The importance of vaccination can be seen from the epidemic in Hong Kong, China in 2022.

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According to the analysis of COVID-19 deaths in Hong Kong, the total mortality rate of the unvaccinated population was 3.04%, while the total mortality rate of the population that received three doses of COVID-19 vaccine was only 0.04%, which is 76 times higher than the latter. Whether based on model inference or actual case statistics, unvaccinated elderly people are more likely to develop severe illness or even die from COVID-19 infection than other groups .

It can be seen from this that the claim that "vaccines don't work" is absurd and does not conform to the current medical consensus. For the elderly, in the current environment, if they still do not get vaccinated, there will be considerable risks.

02

Elderly people just need to stay at home

Do I not need to get vaccinated?

Some friends believe that the elderly do not need to commute to work, so the chance of being infected with Omicron is small, and the vaccine may have side effects, so it is not necessary to get the new coronavirus vaccine.

This view is somewhat wishful thinking.

First, Omicron is highly contagious, and the elderly also have to live in society and cannot be isolated from the world, so the risk of infection should not be underestimated . In addition, since the organs of the elderly are often aged , they cannot tolerate the hypoxia and inflammation that may occur after infection with the new coronavirus, and are more likely to suffer from organ failure or even death. This is why it is more dangerous for the elderly to be infected with the new coronavirus.

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Judging from the epidemic data in Hong Kong, if we only focus on the data related to the deaths of infected people, we will find that the risk of death for people over 60 is 252 times that of people under 30. Among the elderly over 80 years old, the number of deaths for those who did not complete the vaccination was as high as 5,853, and only 33 deaths for those who completed the three-dose vaccination, a difference of 177 times; the mortality rates of the elderly over 80 years old who did not receive the first, second, and third doses of the new crown vaccine were 16.48%, 7.08%, 3.81%, and 1.2%, respectively, and the mortality rates of those who did not receive the first, second, and third doses of the new crown vaccine differed by 16 times.

Judging from the current vaccination situation, the reaction of the elderly to vaccination is not more serious than that of the young . Most of them will not feel uncomfortable. Only a few elderly people may experience local pain, fever, general discomfort and other problems. In addition, before vaccination, the doctor will confirm the medical history with the elderly to eliminate hidden dangers, and they will stay for observation for 30 minutes after vaccination to avoid accidents. Safety is still guaranteed.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, for elderly people who have no contraindications to the vaccine, the benefits of getting the new coronavirus vaccine far outweigh the disadvantages .

03

Elderly people have underlying diseases

So I can’t get the new coronavirus vaccine?

Some elderly people actually want to get vaccinated, but they may have some concerns because many elderly people have underlying diseases of one kind or another, and they worry that these underlying diseases will affect the COVID-19 vaccination.

Paying attention to your own health is a very good habit. For elderly people with underlying diseases, we can treat each problem specifically and not generalize.

People with chronic diseases who are in stable health and well controlled by medication can actually be vaccinated. For example, people with high blood pressure, heart disease, stents, pacemakers, etc., people with diabetes whose blood sugar is controlled below 13, people whose condition is stable after various tumor surgeries, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, people with stable cerebrovascular diseases, people with stable chronic liver cirrhosis, people in the recovery period after surgery, trauma, fractures, etc., and people with general allergies such as allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, urticaria (when symptoms are not obvious), etc. can all be vaccinated with the new crown vaccine.

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In some cases, vaccination does need to be postponed, such as when an acute infectious disease is in the fever stage or a chronic disease is in the acute attack stage . Vaccination should be postponed for patients with coronary heart disease who are experiencing a myocardial infarction , autoimmune nervous system diseases in the progressive stage, epilepsy patients in the acute attack stage and other serious chronic diseases.

In addition, there are some people who are not suitable for the new crown vaccine. For example, those who have had severe allergic reactions to vaccines in the past (such as acute anaphylactic shock, laryngeal edema) are not recommended to be vaccinated.

It is emphasized again here that if you have any questions about your own condition when receiving the vaccine, you should tell the doctor on the spot and the doctor will determine whether you can be vaccinated.

Finally, the current epidemic situation is still severe. For each individual, especially the elderly, the best practice is still to do a good job of personal protection and complete immunization as soon as possible . Because vaccines are not as effective as "taking medicine" or "injections", it takes several weeks for the vaccine to take effect, and the interval between the three injections is long. It is often too late to inject after the epidemic occurs. Therefore, for the elderly, they should be vaccinated as early as possible and get three injections. They should also pay attention to personal protection during vaccination.

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