NIH assures COVID vaccination helps protect unvaccinated people, especially children

The director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed in a new blog post that a COVID-19 vaccination which is obtained by a person, not only protects that individual but it also protects their family. In a Tuesday blog post, the NIH Director Dr Francis S Collins has mentioned that evidence suggests about people being inoculated helps to protect others who can't get vaccinations, particularly children. As per ABC News, Collins wrote, “This is a chance to love your family -- and love your neighbour." 

Dr Collins highlighted the researches which have shown that those who have been inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccines are far less likely to transfer coronavirus disease to their family members. He referenced research published last week in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal which evaluated nearly 1.8 million individuals from over 800,000 households, who have acquired immunity through either past COVID-19 infection or complete immunisation.  

NIH Director highlighted the findings of the research from his new blog

Collins revealed the findings that persons who have no immunity protection against COVID-19 are at a significantly decreased risk of infection and hospitalisation when other family members have protection, either via natural infection or vaccination. 

The study further discovered that families with at least one immunised family member had a 45% to 61% reduced chance of COVID-19 contamination. while households with two immunised family members had a chance of 75% to 86% lower risk of infection. The chance of infection was reduced by nearly 97 % when three or more family members got vaccinated. 

The director of NIH went on to say that these findings clearly indicate that vaccinations provide protection for people lacking immunity, with major implications for eventually ending the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Furthermore, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital, Dr John Brownstein stated that the information given by Dr Collins is essential as there has to be a greater focus on how being vaccinated is an altruistic act for the entire society. Citing Brownstein, ABC News reported, “We get a lot of focus on individual risk and side effects, and it takes our eye off the ball for the real reason we can and wants the population to get inoculated.” 

Brownstein went on to say that everyone who is qualified for vaccines should obtain them as soon as possible as huge numbers of children in the United States may not be completely protected for some time. He believes that Vaccines create a cocoon that ultimately protects those who aren't eligible," ABC News reported.  

Meanwhile, US health officials are preparing for a countrywide COVID-19 immunisation campaign for young children, encouraging state and local officials to place orders of doses before the injections are officially approved. In the United States, the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is presently being administered to children of 12 years old. Federal authorities intend to consider making smaller doses of COVID vaccination available to the country's 28 million youngsters aged 5 to 11 in the coming three weeks. 

(Image: AP)