Microsoft Word - ^5221-Article Text-19077-1-15-20220125.edited.edited.docx Epidemiology and Society Health Review| ESHR Vol. 4, No. 1, 2022, pp. 36-37 ISSN 2656-6052 (online) | 2656-1107 (print) 10.26555/eshr.v4i1.5221 36 Viewpoint Why is Health Protocol Still Needed Even Though People Are Getting Vaccinated? Yanasta Yudo Pratama1*, Elyn Arlinda1, Marwan Rosada1 1 Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia * Correspondence: yanasta.yudo.pratama@mail.ugm.ac.id. Phone: +6282223635566 Received 28 November 2021; Accepted 31 January 2022; Published 31 January 2022 At the end of 2019, the world was rocked by a disease that spread worldwide. The disease is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, also known as the Novel Corona Virus called COVID-19. This virus is responsible for many deaths; as of November 26, 2021, the total global death toll from COVID-19 was more than 5 million deaths. In July of that year, Indonesia became a country with the highest death rate and a high number of new cases, with a total of 143.796 fatalities. Making Indonesia face the problem of poor health situation. In Indonesia, until November 29, 2021, the COVID-19 vaccination coverage was still below 70%. This number means that the vaccination coverage is still below the requirement to achieve herd immunity. We need to consider that controlling the spread of COVID-19 focuses on tracing, and testing and prevention efforts must be carried out by delivering vaccines to society without exception. Most of the participants who received the COVID-19 vaccine developed a specific humoral response after the second dose. In addition, evidence highlights that the immune response induced by COVID-19 vaccination exceeds that caused by natural infection with SARS-CoV- 2. However, some aspects of the humoral immune response, the threshold titers of antibodies required for protection, and the immunity resistance induced by natural infection or after the COVID-19 vaccine are still under investigation. Vaccination potency may decrease sometime after vaccination, which requires us to maintain health protocols that obey the health protocols enforced by the government. The government and related stakeholders should educate the society that even though they have been vaccinated, they should continue to apply health protocols such as: wearing masks, washing their hands regularly with disinfectant or soap and water, keeping their distance from others - especially with someone who has symptoms of coughing or sneezing—practicing proper coughing or sneezing etiquette, and seeking treatment if they have complaints that fit the category of suspected COVID-19. The use of masks is part of the comprehensive effort to control and prevent COVID-19 because masks protect someone from aerosol transmission, particularly in health facility settings. Pratama (Why is health protocol still needed even though people are getting vaccinated?) Vol. 4, No. 1, 2022, pp. 36-37 10.26555/eshr.v4i1.5221 37 To improve society's obedience to the government COVID-19 regulation, the government should take some actions such as: strengthening the promotive and preventive lines aimed to increase the society's knowledge of the importance of society's adherence to health protocols even though they have been vaccinated. Keywords: Health protocols; COVID-19; Vaccine; Immunization