Béla Merkely: If we’re wrong, the new guy is more punishing

The rector of Semmelweis University, speaking to HVG, said that “we will clean the corona virus from the Earth.”

Béla Merkely said of the new variant of the virus, which appeared in Britain, that it binds more strongly to receptors in the nose, throat and throat.

The reproductive value (R) shows how many healthy people are transmitted by an infected person. If this number exceeds one, the epidemic will get worse. The new type of virus, according to experts, increases the value of R by four tenths. If we did nothing – that is, wash our hands, keep a safe distance, and wear a mask – the original virus would produce an R-value of 2.7, while the new virus would produce an R-value of 3.1. This is very high because it would mean that the number of infected people would triple every two weeks and the pandemic would spread exponentially.

However, according to the rector of the University of Semmelweis, you still do not have to be afraid, but caution does not hurt. The rules are the same: if we use a mask and do not hold large meetings, the R number can be reduced, he explains, and adds:

The difference is that if we make a mistake, the new guy is more punishing.

However, the acquired immunity is preserved, that is, the appearance of the new type does not result in a new wave. And even if there are significant mutations in the virus, there are no serious problems.

He also said that no signs of the appearance of the new variant had yet been found in Hungary.

According to him, since we already have a serious arsenal on our hands, we are sure that we will clean this virus from the Earth – it will be one of the pathogens that will be completely eliminated from everyday life.

However, this must be achieved in order for the proportion of infected and vaccinated to reach 60 percent of the total population. If this materializes, this epidemic will end in Hungary.