Dealing with Omicron, the 4th Wave and the 3rd Jab

Making an Informed Decision about Vaccination – What you need to know

A Vaccinated Industry is a Safe, Sustainable and Successful Industry

And on Wednesday, South Africa's fourth wave of coronavirus infections overtook the peak of the first wave, as the Omicron variant spreads far and fast, riding the wave of Delta as well. The 19,842 new cases added to the national tally on Wednesday is the highest one-day number since July this year, when the Delta-driven third wave was in full swing. Over 90,000 lives have now been lost to the virus in South Africa, while more than 5.3 million people have died worldwide.

SA’s coronavirus cases just rocketed past the peak of the first wave - Business Insider SA Dec 09, 2021. Click HERE for full article.

One of the biggest stand-outs on the rising wave now is the number of younger people involved. The highest weekly incidence risk among cases detected in week 48 of 2021 was reported in the 35-39-year age group (183.1 cases per 100 000 persons), the age group usually considered the healthiest and the least at risk for most diseases. Is this because Omicron is affecting younger age groups or because this age group is not as likely to be vaccinated? We don’t know yet, time can only tell.

On the vaccine front, so far over 3.8 billion people globally have been vaccinated fully, safely, with millions more with their first jab already. This suggests that a further booster (the 3rd jab) will be not only safe for the majority of people, but will give greater protection against Covid-19 and its variants, and against the development of future variants.

A third jab is normal - especially for a new virus

Is it beneficial to get a third vaccination, a booster for Covid? Many vaccines in the past and present require two or more jabs before proper systemic protection can be achieved and the immune system fully trained to recognise its enemy. Vaccines going back decades, ones we are all familiar with, having experienced them ourselves, have often needed this multiplication of inoculations. And many still require boosters every year, or decade. This is normal – why should Covid-19, such a new and virulent virus, be any different?

Just a brief listing of vaccinations requiring multiple jabs for initial doses for humans:

• Polio - 4x

• HPV - 3x

• Tetanus - 3x (with boosters every 10 years)

• MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) - 2x

• Varicella (chickenpox) - 2x

• Hepatitis A - 2x

• Hepatitis B - 3x

• Flu (in case you've forgotten) - annual boosters

• Rabies pre-exposure (humans) - 4x

This list doesn’t even begin to cover all the inoculations human babies need in their first few years to safely protect them!

And our pets and companion animals and livestock are regularly vaccinated and boosted:

• Parvo - 3x

• Distemper - 3x

• Feline Leukemia - 2x

• Rabies (initial dose non-human) - 2x (boosters after every 1-3 years)

• Flu (initial doses) - 2 x (booster 2x year after)

• WNV (West Nile Virus)(initial doses - 2x (annual boosters thereafter)

• African Horse Sickness - 2x annually, legally required

Multiple jabs for viruses and diseases are nothing new for humans or animals.

When you get vaccinated, you not only protect yourself from severe illness and death from Covid but you help protect those who cannot be vaccinated themselves and you prevent variants from developing further.

European Commission stats are showing non-vaccinated people make up the greatest number so of hospitalisations, severe illness and fatalities from Covid.

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We’ve asked some of our top professionals in the industry to share their thoughts with us and each week we’ll be sharing their stories for you to enjoy. If you have a positive experience you’d like to share with us on the vaccine and the differences it’s made in your personal life or your salon and with your clients’ appreciation of their salon experiences, please send to Beth at beth@hairnews.co.za , with a photo you’d like us to use!

Industry Vaccination: Safety, Sustainability and A Return to Normality