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The assessment that next summer we will be able to take a break from the coronavirus pandemic in our country, as a result of vaccination, provided that the public responds to the pertinent summons from scientists and the state, made by health authorities and specialist scientists. For the “wall of immunity” to be built and for us to return to normality, it is necessary to vaccinate 70% of the population. The Undersecretary of Health, Vassilis Kontozamanis, in statements to “K”, points out that sufficient doses of vaccines and a satisfactory “flow” to the country have already been assured. However, he notes that it is too early to say exactly when this goal will be achieved, as it depends on the intention of citizens to get vaccinated. If this condition is ensured, then, as Mr. Kontozamanis emphasizes, “based on the possibilities we have for the development of vaccination centers but also on the time required for the vaccination process, completing the first semester of 2021 we can be close in what we call the “wall of immunity”.
“Although we continue to go through the second wave, the second blockade has paid off, something that is shown in the latest map with epidemiological data published by the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, according to which Greece is doing a lot better than most of the others. EU countries “, says the Undersecretary and continues:” For vaccinations, Greece has obtained all the doses necessary for its population and a satisfactory flow with which the vaccines will reach the country. The number of vaccination centers is well organized and for the moment we can say with certainty that by January 20, 2021, the vaccination of health and hospitalized patients in nursing homes and rehabilitation centers will be completed. The participation of employees in health units is very satisfactory and it is increasing. In fact, in some hospitals it reaches 80% “.
According to Mr. Kontozamanis, the population will be vaccinated according to the prioritization of the National Vaccination Committee. He highlights: “Vaccines are completely safe and we call on the population to get vaccinated. We protect not only ourselves, but also our family, our loved ones, our environment ”.
Starting next Monday, the vaccination of employees in health units (total number of employees 86,000 people) and of guests in care units for the elderly (in total about 15,000 people) will be expanded. As of January 20, the vaccination of the general population will begin, starting with people over 70 years of age, which is estimated at 590,000 in our country. Just securing immunity in this population is expected to give NSS new life, as it will reduce the number of severe COVID-19 cases.
A message of encouragement to citizens to get vaccinated is sent through “K” by four medical professors.
Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics George Chrousos describes the vaccines that have been developed against the coronavirus as an amazing gift that technology has given us, highlighting that “they are the safest that have been made to date.” The professor of Hygiene – Epidemiology Pagona Lagiou and the professor of Social and Preventive Medicine Giannis Tountas clarify that, despite the short time it took to create the vaccines, there was no reduction in the control of their safety and effectiveness. “They are vaccinating me to be part of the ‘wall of immunity’,” emphasizes Professor Nikos Sypsas, noting that when this is achieved it will mean the end of the pandemic. “We will meet again, we will travel, our economy will open, our fellow citizens will find work and income.”
PAGONA D. LAGIOU *
Let the vulnerable and the exposed precede
In 2020 we are experiencing an unprecedented public health crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, shortly before its expiration, this year leaves us with a breath of optimism. The development of vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a substantial advance and provides strong hope for a faster and safer return to normalcy. The speed with which vaccines have been released is impressive, so impressive that it raises some questions about their safety. The truth, however, is that there was no discount in the control of these vaccines. The process was accelerated by a group of research centers and companies around the world, drawing on the experience of previous efforts to develop vaccines for other related viruses. Vaccines that receive marketing authorization are completely safe. At the same time, they have impressive efficiency rates, exceeding 90%.
In addition to the protection they provide at the individual level, the vaccination of around 70% of the population will create the collective immunity that will allow control of the pandemic. Until then, we stay true to our distances, our masks, and our hygiene measures.
When the effort to organize vaccination in our country began a few months ago, the message we hoped to convey to the population was simply: get vaccinated. Today, as we hope to raise public awareness, the message is: give the most vulnerable and vulnerable a chance to get vaccinated first and vaccinated as soon as it is their turn.
* Mr. Pagona D. Lagiou is Professor of Hygiene – Epidemiology and director of the Laboratory of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics at the EKPA School of Medicine. Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard University, United States.
GEORGE P. CHROUSOS *
One of the safest ever made
Science and technology have given us an amazing gift, or rather gifts, with the vaccines they devised, developed and studied their application to humans in the midst of the pandemic, in an incredibly short time.
The first two vaccines available, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, were manufactured using a technique that was first used in humans. They use the minimum required material, which is the messenger RNA (m) that encodes the virus “spike protein”, with minor biochemical changes to provide basic stability and readability by the protein-producing cell mechanism. The remaining components are some known excipients and a lipid membrane that surrounds them together with the mRNA like a small sac or vesicle, protecting it from lytic enzymes and facilitating its entry into the cell. The mRNA, as soon as it is read, is destroyed by the cell, as is the case with normal mRNAs.
Based on current knowledge and common sense, these vaccines should be the safest ever made. We would not expect significant complications, and so far we have not, except for rare allergic reactions that have returned. Less than 10% of those vaccinated have transient symptoms, such as local irritation, fatigue, myalgias, dozens, etc., not unlike other vaccines that we have been using safely for years. The prioritization of vaccinations has been carried out by the competent committees, the first being the health and elderly living in institutions. Gradually, as vaccination of the population expands, the pandemic will diminish and eventually cease to exist.
* Mr. George P. Chrousos is Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics and Endocrinology at EKPA.
NIKOLAOS V. SYSAS *
We help our country to get out of the nightmare
I am vaccinated first of all by myself. COVID-19 is associated with significant mortality and complications, especially in the elderly and people with underlying illnesses. However, deaths have also been reported among young people without health problems. The first two vaccines to be available in Greece appear to prevent COVID-19 by 95%.
They are vaccinating me to be part of the “wall of immunity” of vaccinated citizens. When this affects 70% of the population, it will mean the end of the pandemic.
We will all meet again, we will travel, our economy will open, our fellow citizens will find work and income.
Vaccines are safe. Clinical trials have shown few clinically significant side effects, especially allergic reaction in people with a history of allergic shock to intramuscular injections.
Are there any side effects that will appear after years? We do not know. Existing vaccines are based on the technology of mRNA, a molecule that enters cells and signals the production of the coronavirus protein and thus triggers the production of antibodies. It does not interfere with the human genome and does not affect the genetic material. There are tens or hundreds of thousands of mRNAs in cells that, after performing their function, dissolve within minutes.
The mRNA of the vaccine differs in that it lasts 2-3 days before dissolving. A molecule that disappears from the body is not expected to have long-term side effects.
For example, I am vaccinated with a safe and effective vaccine to protect myself, get my life back and help the country come out of the nightmare.
* Mr. Nikolaos V. Sypsas is a professor at the EKPA School of Medicine.
ΓΙΑΝΝΗΣ ΤΟΥΝΤΑΣ *
The sense of responsibility we have to deal with now
Since the late 18th century, when smallpox was applied to fight smallpox, billions of people have been saved from viral infections by vaccines.
Vaccines can sometimes have side effects, but they are usually mild and easy to treat. Side effects are rare and mild because for a vaccine to be marketed it is necessary to carry out experimental and clinical trials with very strict protocols that guarantee its efficacy and safety.
An anti-vaccination movement has developed internationally in recent years, mainly because some have mistakenly believed that humanity is no longer threatened by deadly epidemics and that the human body can defend itself against invading pathogens. The millions of victims of AIDS in recent decades, and more recently the coronavirus, have denied it in the most dramatic way.
There are those who worry about the short time it took to create the new vaccines. This scientific achievement was not achieved at the expense of rigorous planned procedures, which included hundreds of thousands of volunteers, but thanks to the unprecedented scientific orgasm around the world and the enormous biotechnological achievements of recent years.
With some of those who invoke science fiction scenarios, there can be no dialogue with logical arguments, since “even the gods were afraid of stupidity.” Fortunately, they are few. Greeks have one of the highest childhood vaccination rates in the world. We must walk with the same sense of responsibility now.
* Mr. Giannis Tountas is Professor of Social and Preventive Medicine.
