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The dramatic votes held at the last meeting of its expert committee Ministry of Health due to the pandemic and that resulted in a “yes”, a “no” and a “maybe, we will see” against the government’s proposals for the opening of the market and the society of the running of the bulls, show that the relationship between political leadership and scientists is now at a difficult point. The old loves and the coexistence of other times seem like a distant memory, since the severity of the third pandemic wave and how to handle it have no easy recipes. And yet there is no identity once agreed between the expert committee and the government.
Wednesday’s meeting was a milestone in the cooperation of the two parties, since it was the first time they manifested so many disagreements, to the point of inviting the members of the commission to express their points of view by voting. The top ministers (as well as Mr. Jorge Gerapetritis intervened) and other relevant officials to convince scientists that restrictive measures should be relaxed. The government finally managed to extract one almost unanimously “yes” to the opening of retail trade, for which Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, but the same did not happen schools.
Although the Minister Education Lady Win Κεραμέως The majority of the commission “dragged” the issue as far back as possible, insisting not only on gradual opening, but also on the observance of strict protection measures, presenting negative self-examination of students. Initially they will open only secondary schools and if the government has in the meantime succeeded in providing pharmacies with self-assessments, which will reach the students on time. It seems complicated to open all the steps before Easter. The committee was divided on this issue with the lady Valve Papaevangelou to express the opening opinion and Mr. Mario Lasagna insist on the great dangers that this entails for the excessive transmission of the virus.
The “no” received by the governmentHe was referring to the lifting of the inter-municipal travel ban, with the result that he assumes his own responsibility and allows them to be tested on weekends. An indication of the Commission’s tough stance on requests for resumption of any discussion about focus, something that led Prime Minister Mr. Kyriako Mitsotaki to declare in Parliament on Friday that these stores will again accept people after Easter.
George Gerapetritis, Adonis Georgiadis and Niki Kerameos
Clouds and media abstention
The climate in the relations of the commission, or at least of many of its members, with the government had been deteriorating for at least two months. The crisis became evident with her an unexpected choice made by some professors and doctors of recognized prestige, specific scientific weight and endowed with communicative capacity, to abstain from the media and public support for the tactics adopted by political leaders to manage the pandemic.
Of course, before it was Mr. Σωτήρης Tsiodras, who has chosen here and almost ten months abstaining from the daily update of citizens due to the pandemic. However, it was understood that Mr. Tsiodras He received too much weight and enormous pressure just from the feeling that the whole society was hanging on his statements every afternoon, so his decision was not a big surprise. After all, himself remains on the central pandemic management staff, essentially like link between political power and the scientific community.
The beginning of this distancing was made by the pathologist – specialist in infectious diseases and president of the Hellenic Society for the Treatment of AIDS, Mr. Marios Lasagna, when on February 8, on the eve of the application of the latter in the series of confinements, announced that he will not appear again on television and radio. Later, in a more discreet way, the same did the professor of Microbiology and vice-rector of EKPA Mr. Athanasius Tsakris, who quietly stopped responding to journalists’ calls for public statements. The trio of long absences in the last two months is completed by Mr. Nikos Sypsas also of the emblematic figures throughout the previous period. In fact, the EKPA Professor of Pathological Infection Physiology was considered during the first months of the pandemic alongside Mr. Charalambos Gogo something like informal deputy chiefs of Mr. Tsiodra.
The path of abstention seems to have been chosen for several days and another of the important members of the committee, Mr. Takis Panagiotopoulos, Professor of Public Health, but mainly one of the most prudent and moderate voices in the country’s scientific apparatus, against the pandemic. With excellent appearances, another excellent subject matter expert participated in the front line, Mr. Jorge Saroglou, Pathologist – Infectious Diseases Specialist and Emeritus Professor of Pathology at EKPA.
This attitude, chosen lately by some scientists, does not seem by chance.
After all, in early February, government officials had directly asked members of the Health Ministry committee to limit their appearances. “In the few difficult months that remain, we need a responsible and united discourse from the experts and less exposure of subjective points of view that do not serve the collective need.” the government spokeswoman herself had underlined on February 9 Aristotle Peloni, giving a clear signal of the dispositions of the political leadership. A few days earlier, there had even been a disagreement on whether new restrictive measures should be imposed or allowed in certain market segments, under certain conditions.
Athanasios Tsakris, Nikos Sypsas and Marios Lazanas
“Fatigue”, tests and masks
The scene that was beginning to take shape gave rise to several side effects then, with the public culmination of the statement made by the president of the Hellenic Intensive Care Society, Ms. Anastasia Kotanidou about “A tired committee, which has lost its way and makes the wrong decisions.” Regardless of what exactly the lady meant KotanidouAs he said after his statements were misinterpreted, the problems within the committee had started much earlier and were partially expressed in the case of the second wave last fall. Especially the gentlemen Lasagna and Tsakris, two people of indisputable prestige, knowledge and discretion, had, for example, defended from an early age the need to intensive community testing, although without being heard.
Many other members of the committee had the same opinion, among them undoubtedly Mr. Panagiotopoulos, who was impatiently patient until March. The testing problem has often been one of the wounds inflicted on the committee, causing gaps in contact with the government and damaging many relationships among its members. The information indicates, for example, that at the beginning of the year and after pressure from many scientists, it was certain that the measurement of diagnostic tests in the workplace will be mandatory, especially where the number of employees is large. and the virus is over. -transmitted. The promise remained on paper, as did the commitments that there would be an intervention in public transport, request of several experts.
It is characteristic that Mr. Lasagna has been saying since last July (and has continued to do so over and over again in every public speech) that “it is the iceberg phenomenon that we discovered on the top of the mountain through molecular testing useful and convenient to find and cure if necessary “. Sir. Tsakris Consequently, he had warned since last November, at the same time that he had insisted that the opening of schools after the Christmas holidays be done with compulsory tests for students and teachers.
The Knights Lasagna and Tsakris They were also from very early, before it was finally implemented in October, advocates of the widespread or universal use of the mask, while together with Mr. Sypsa We have always expressed great reservations about the opening of activities, anticipating the risk of a resurgence of the pandemic wave, for various reasons and causes. The latter was, in fact, an outspoken preacher of the harsh quarantine, kind of last March – something that seemed to upset the ministers and other relevant government officials, who were under heavy pressure from the market to organize the “exit” from the shutdown.
Mr. Sotiris Tsiodras, who has chosen for almost ten months to refrain from daily information from citizens about the pandemic
Committee balances and limits
The balance between prescribing restrictive measures and the need to “liberate” society and the market It was from a point and then a constant point of friction and reflection. The committee was formed from the health part, mainly the clinical part, and was not enriched over time with other scientific specialties, such as psychologists / sociologists, or experts in their financial implications. pandemic and of isolation. The government took this balance to find and implement it, which is why more and more ministers and government officials attend committee meetings, present relevant data, and try to convince of the need for vacancies.
The problem, however, is that they ask doctors and scientists, especially people in hospitals who see the dramatic effects of the pandemic on the health system, to suggest questions that they do not have to know or even consider. This is probably the deepest cause that some they finally chose a distance from things and yet from public attitudes. Especially when they saw, and rather felt uncomfortable, their colleagues assuming the burden of evaluating other components of the pandemic, such as economic, social, tourism, etc.
In this group of committee members, who finally agreed to remove this burden and therefore have a stronger role, are, among others, the two representatives in the briefings of the ministry, namely Mr. Gikas Majorkinis and the lady Valve Papaevangelou, but also the gentlemen Dimitris Friday and Christos Hadjichristodoulou and the ladies Anastasia Kotanidou, Valve Sypsa and others. They try to play a more balanced role in synthesizing the different approaches and philosophies of their fellow scientists, professors, and physicians like Mr. Charalambos Gogos and mr Alkis Vatopoulos. These are two committee members with an excellent response and a calm speech, although they often try to satisfy all parties.
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