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Qs people asked about science and my replies to them -Part 231 ( herd immunity)
Q: Does "Herd Immunity" actually exist or is it a theoretical idea that is unprovable or undisprovabable?
Krishna: Please write full form for IS. These days you get the same abbreviations for several things. Which one should we consider for this Q? If the Q is not clear, how can anybody answer it appropriately?
You can find the list for IS here: What does IS stand for?
Anyway, I will answer it in a general way. As the more transmissible delta variant of COVID-19 continues to drive waves of infections throughout the world, more and more businesses are requiring patrons to prove or attest to their vaccination status. You need to provide vaccination status against for several other diseases too when asked.
As a microbiologist, my answer would be, “NO, you shouldn’t lie, even if you can!”.
Now wondering about whether it is a crime to lie about your vaccination status?
In some circumstances, people may be able to get away with misrepresenting their status to employers and businesses that only require attestation of COVID-19 vaccination. For one reason or another, many employers and businesses are not checking physical or digital vaccination records. They may only ask that you only enter a venue or office if you have been vaccinated. They may also request that you verbally confirm you have been vaccinated or check a box that attests to your status.
Lying in these scenarios most likely does not constitute a crime. However, someone does potentially open themselves up to tremendous civil liability and professional consequences if the deception is discovered. If your employer learns you misrepresented your vaccination status, they likely have the right to discipline or terminate you. If your misrepresentation led to a COVID-19 outbreak at your worksite that can be traced back to you, you could also face a civil lawsuit in countries like the US (1).
Similarly, businesses can generally kick out and ban patrons that lie about their vaccination status. Again, if it can be established that your lying about your vaccination status and consequent presence on the premises caused a COVID-19 outbreak, you could be sued in civil court (1).
It becomes much more difficult to avoid criminal liability when businesses and employers require proof of vaccination. Legitimate COVID-19 vaccination records can only be obtained by receiving the vaccine.
If you lie and spread a dangerous disease among the children, the elderly and if several people die as a consequence, it is a crime against humanity.
A simple blood test can identify whether you have been vaccinated or not depending on the situation. Do you think you can lie and cheat your way to success? No you can’t ! Science stands in your way! If it decides to stop you, nothing can save you.
Vaccination is good for you and everybody around. Read why by clicking on these links:
Qs people asked about science and my replies to them -Part 231 ( he...
Must a community use its shared values to make decisions about scie...
Now why do you want to avoid it? And lie about your vaccination status? That is not a wise thing.
Footnotes:
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Q:Is the CoviShield coronavirus vaccine safe?
Krishna:The drug regulator has given the green light to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covishield in India. It is based on sound science. Clinical trials have been done on it in some countries and the data shows it is safe.
Most of my friends and relatives took it (I convinced them :) and didn’t face any problems till now. So, yes, it is relatively safe. Read these articles that give full details about the vaccines:
Qs people asked me on science and my replies to them - part 217Countering misinformation on vaccines Q: Ma'am, I am getting several forwarded messages on social media regarding safety of COVID vaccines. It seems scientists…Vaccine woesRecent measles outbreak in the California state of the US ( now spread to other states too) tells an interesting story. Vaccines are not responsible for the wo…Why you should go for the COVID vaccines despite the uncertaintyThere are antivaxxers. Then there are antiscience people and skeptics propagating misinformation. Recently I have observed that many videos are being circulated in the social media propagating misinformation about vaccines and these people are taking the uncertainty we are encountering because of the ongoing research process. Despite everything I strongly recommend that you should take vaccines! Why? Let me explain. First let me deal with this issue: Since some of the COVID vaccines haven’t been studied in people in the elderly populations, we don’t know how well the vaccine will work for them. We know that most vaccines don’t work nearly as well in a frail elderly person as they would in someone who is fit and vigorous, even if they happen to be the same age This is because as we age our immune system becomes weak. The traditional vaccine may not work so well in older people because of an idea known as immune senescence , which posits that as people age, their immune systems weaken, resulting in poor vaccine response, especially to inactivated strains. That is why senior citizens are reporting less side effects than young people! Live virus vaccines give a better result with old people. When shots begin to go into arms of [nursing home and long-term care facility] residents, we need to understand that deaths may occur that won’t necessarily have anything to do with the experimental vaccine.’ Deaths might occur because of other age related health conditions. So some countries try a high-dose vaccine for seniors that could theoretically overcome this problem, no studies have yet been published on how effective it is. The higher dose produces a higher level of antibodies, but we don’t really know what that correlates to. The elderly should be given regular booster shots to tackle their immune system problems. Most currently used vaccines are less immunogenic and effective in the elderly compared to younger adults. Potential strategies to improve their immunogenicity include higher antigen dose, alternative routes of administration, and the use of adjuvants, which were all implemented for influenza vaccines, and induce moderately higher antibody concentrations. Research on universal vaccines against influenza and S. pneumoniae is ongoing in order to overcome the limitations of the current strain-specific vaccines. Respiratory syncytial virus causes significant morbidity in the elderly. Novel vaccines against this and other pathogens, for instance bacterial nosocomial infections, have tremendous potential impact on health in old age and are intensively studied by many academic and commercial organizations. This is where herd immunity helps. One thing to remember here is herd immunity protects these vulnerable people if majority of younger generation goes for vaccination (5). What is herd immunity? Watch these videos to find out. VIDEO VIDEO So if majority of the people take vaccines that will protect the elderly and others who couldn't take vaWhy is there a gap between 2 doses of coronavirus vaccine?Krishna: These things are decided by research based evidence. Different gap periods are suggested for different vaccines based on the efficacy results. Some vaccines, like the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, are efficient even with one dose. Some like covishield, covaxin, Sputnik V, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna need two doses. The timeframe between the doses depends on which vaccine you received. Why do some vaccines require two doses? How long do you need to wait between doses? Do you have any immunity after the first dose? Vaccine efficacy refers to how well it performs in a carefully controlled trial, whereas effectiveness describes its performance in the real world. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines both use mRNA technology. The cells in your body naturally use mRNA all the time to create many different types of proteins that you need to stay healthy. The mRNA in the two-dose COVID-19 vaccines provide the cells of your body with instructions on how to make the spike protein that’s specific to the new coronavirus. This spike protein is found on the surface of the virus. It uses this spike protein to attach to and enter a host cell in your body. When you get your COVID-19 vaccine, your immune system processes information on the spike protein and generates an immune response to it. This includes the production of antibodies. Vaccines hinge on a very important aspect of your immune system, which is the fact that it has memory. After your vaccination, your immune system continues to store information on the spike protein. If you’re exposed to the new coronavirus, your immune system will then use this stored information to respond and protect you from the virus. This can help prevent you from becoming sick with COVID-19. The entire immunity process typically takes around 2 weeks after the second dose of vaccine. That’s why you can still contract the new coronavirus and become ill if you’re exposed to it shortly after getting your vaccine. Why do you need this waiting period? The first dose helps to prime your immune system. It introduces it to the spike protein and allows it to generate a small immune response prior to the second dose. Time is needed to allow this process to develop properly. It’s also important not to get your second dose too early or too late, as this may impact the effectiveness of the vaccine. You have to stick to the prescribed period gap. You do get some immunity after you receive the first dose. But it will not be full. It will usually be less. This depends on the vaccine, your immune response, and the time period. The effectiveness increases for most Covid vaccines only after the second dose. Clinical researchers observed a strong antibody response following the second dose. But still we don’t yet know how long this immunity lasts. Some vaccines require two doses because the immune response to the first dose is rather weak. The second dose helps to better reinforce this immune response. If you don’t take the second dose -
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