Expert: Positive trends have stopped, on February 21 we crossed the dangerous threshold

Simonas Krėpšta, senior adviser to the president and head of the Economic and Social Policy Group, said it should not be said that the third wave of the coronavirus had started.

“We can see that the figures show that the pace of recovery has stopped. And we have some stabilization of the situation, but at the meeting it was discussed that it is not really necessary to draw firm conclusions about the current situation. It is much better than in December. Right now, depending on the level of infections, we are in the middle of October last year, “said S. Krėpšta.

The Statistics Department announced Monday that the situation should already be called the “third wave.” S. Krėpšta said that it is not necessary to do so.

“It can probably be said that the term ‘third wave’ would not be exact and correct to describe the current situation. Yes, we have a constant improvement, we are seeing some stabilization, but the third wave of society is associated with a very strict quarantine, with very high levels of infections, deaths, a bad situation in hospitals. “This term is probably not correct,” he said.

The president’s adviser hinted that in future it should also be possible to produce vaccines in Lithuania.

You also need to think about creating an immunity passport.

“During the meeting, it was decided that it really makes sense to discuss it, and other countries are doing the same. It really makes a lot of sense to follow the example of other countries in what works and what doesn’t. The introduction of an immunity passport in Lithuania should also be actively considered ”, assured the president’s adviser, S. Krėpšta.

Speaking of possible layoffs, the presidential adviser assured that they should only be introduced after a careful assessment of the situation.

“The president has always constantly said that we should carefully consider possible layoffs. Yes, the situation is better, we can discuss some operational facilities, but before each launch, we need to evaluate the data and evidence to see if they present additional risks,” he said. .

Overview of the epidemiological situation

After the meeting, Professor Mindaugas Stankūnas from the Department of Health Management of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) presented the management of the coronavirus in Lithuania.

He said the encouraging trends have now stopped and an important threshold was crossed on February 21 assessing the epidemiological situation.

“The first and most interesting question is about that third wave. We really believe that the positive epidemiological trends that have pleased us for a long time have stopped. We can see that in 14 days per 100,000. Population case rate dynamics , as well as the growth of positive tests. We also see that the effective reproduction size R of the virus exceeds 1. We have had less than 1 since Christmas: the epidemic has plagued. Now we see that the 1 is already past. February, “M. Stankūnas said after the meeting.

He argued that the slowdown in the decline in cases should not be linked to the layoffs introduced last week.

However, there is something to be happy about, said LSMU professor M. Stankūnas: For the third day in a row, the number of single-digit deaths from coronavirus is recorded.

“This has not been the case for more than 100 days,” he told a news conference. This number was last recorded on November 8.

Recent mobility data also shows that there has been growth since the beginning of January. But mobility to quarantine has not yet been achieved.

“There is a slight tendency for Vilnius residents to be less mobile, Klaipėda and Šiauliai residents to be a little more mobile,” a representative from LSMU said of the mobility data.

He urged citizens to continue mobilizing, with patience and overcoming this stage.

“People are tired, we understand it. (…) Experts don’t have green passports or anything else, we do too, that’s the problem. Everyone is tired, all over the world. In some countries, fatigue is It manifests itself in quite strong protests, perhaps people lack the strength, the motivation to follow those recommendations.

Today, the president was almost 1,5 thousand. 100 thousand cases. population so far 250 cases, and the president, the prime minister, the experts did not do it, the people did it. I think we have to see that a lot has already been done and try to find more strength to go further to smaller numbers, “said M. Stankūnas at the press conference.

Talk again about the immunity passport or vaccination certificate

For his part, Professor Kęstutis Petrikonis, Vice-Rector for Studies at LSMU, pointed out that immunity passports and vaccination certificates had been discussed with the president.

“We distinguish that these are different concepts. The injection or vaccination of a vaccine can be certified; it does not necessarily grant any rights or exclusivity to that citizen. An immunity passport is a broader concept and (…) allows more ”, explained the professor.

Experts suggest that if there were exclusivity at the European level for those vaccinated against the coronavirus, people with a history of infection should have the same rights.

According to K. Petrikonis, similar practices were applied in other diseases.

“Those forms, whether printed or electronic, are important. People who have been vaccinated or have immunity can print it so it is not falsified,” said the LSMU professor.

According to him, a vaccination certificate or immunity passport is primarily a medical problem, not a social one.

“We should not do it the other way around, as some countries may suggest, there is a certain lack of communication. Lithuania’s position is appropriate today, “said K. Petrikonis.

Her position was supplemented by Professor Aurelija Žvirblienė.

“That immunity passport would cover not only vaccinated people, but also those who are sick. With each passing day, more and more scientific data emerges about the resistance of patients to the virus. We know that there are now more than 100 million of people in the world. They are sick. Very few recurrences have been reported, “said the professor.

According to A. Žvirblienė, scientific data shows that immune memory cells persist for more than half a year.

“Even when antibody levels drop, immune memory cells remain. After 8 months, their number is higher than after a month, “noted the teacher.

Therefore, according to the expert, the decision not to vaccinate people with COVID-19 infection for the moment is the right one. He gave the example of Israel, which said it suggests that relieved people could be vaccinated with a single dose of the vaccine after a while.

“Some countries, like France, have made that decision. Every day that passes, more and more scientific data appear and that experience from other countries will be very useful for Lithuania ”, emphasized A. Žvirblienė.

Speaking about the idea of ​​an immunity passport, Professor K. Petrikonis pointed out that the relaxation of quarantine restrictions should be prepared.

“If immunity passports were formed, they should reflect not only vaccination, disease information, but also test information, possibly also current health situation, symptom monitoring. If the pandemic situation lasts longer that the end of vaccination, will carry over to the fall or next year, these tools will be especially important for us to return to a slightly more normal life, “said the LSMU professor, who expressed hope that this topic will be again on the EU agenda, several months.