The Impact of Social Media to People in Receiving COVID-19 Vaccines

Nowadays, people rely so much on social media and believe whatever they see, may it be

fake or not. Majority of the people get updates from social media like Facebook. However, not

everything that we lay our eyes upon are real, especially in these platforms. But not everyone can

discern what is fake and what is not, which is why social media has really a big impact to people

especially during these times.

The government is currently in the initial phase of vaccine rollout with the availability of

different vaccine brands around the country. They are working together with the local

government units to deliver the vaccines to you. How do vaccines work? Vaccines imitate the

virus or bacteria that causes illness and cause the body to produce antibodies in response. Once a

person is infected with the disease-causing virus or bacteria, these antibodies will defend them.

Decades-old science was used to develop these vaccines. They completed all of the essential

clinical trial phases. These vaccinations have undergone extensive testing and monitoring and

have proven to be both safe and efficacious. Now, let me talk about the uses and the efficacy of

these vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccines are given in 2 separate doses. If fully vaccinated, this

will help you from contracting COVID-19 or reduce severe complications when you get

contracted by the virus. Furthermore, it aids to protect people around you, especially those who

are at a higher risk of serious sickness from COVID-19. Many activities that you conducted

before the pandemic can be resumed if you are completely vaccinated for COVID-19. Except

when required by federal, state, municipal, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations,

including local business and workplace guidelines, you can continue your activities without

wearing a mask or remaining 6 feet away. Just like any other vaccines, there are also possible

side effects. According to the FDA's recent approval of the vaccine, side effects might include
discomfort at the injection site, tiredness, muscular aches or pain, joint pain, headache, and fever,

all of which would be temporary. The brand AstraZeneca (AZD1222) has an efficacy of 63.09%

against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Longer dosage intervals of 8 to 12 weeks have

been linked to increased vaccination effectiveness. The vaccines from Pfizer and Modern have

the highest effectiveness, at about 95%. The AstraZeneca and Janssen medicines had lower

effectiveness, ranging from 60 to 70 percent. The vaccines are free, so you do not need to worry

about money. However, people have been hesitating due to the rumors that goes around social

media platforms. And because people are gullible, they trust that information and does not do a

simple research regarding the vaccines. These make the people afraid and hesitant. Due to that,

lots of them have been declining the offer of being vaccinated. Can you see how great the

influence of social media is? Therefore, it is very important to know based on facts only and be

updated to the latest news. It is significant for us to educate and be educated regarding this issue.

The influence of social media cannot be underestimated. In just one click, you can make a

lot of people believe in misinformation. We must be careful in sharing posts and be cynical when

reading articles. Do not just rely on the titles but read the whole thing. Having knowledge is a

powerful weapon so use it accordingly.

 References

https://www.curetoday.com/view/weighing-the-pros-and-cons-of-receiving-the-covid-19-vaccine

https://doh.gov.ph/Vaccines/when-will-the-COVID-19-available-to-me

https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-oxford-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-

what-you-need-to-know

https://healthydebate.ca/2021/03/topic/comparing-vaccines/#:~:text=How%20do%20the%20four

%20vaccines,the%20AstraZeneca%20and%20Janssen%20products.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html