Čaplinskas warns that due to the delta variety, an exponential growth of cases has already started in Lithuania

Most want Janssen shots

As J. Aleksaitė said in the program, the situation is very different in the municipalities. Some municipalities put a lot of effort into vaccinating people, going to people with mobile teams. A very good number of vaccinations are shown in Neringa, Birštonas municipality. The SAM representative also mentions Vilnius and Kaunas – these cities are also trying to make vaccination as easy as possible and more people would do it.

More recently, SAM announced that some municipalities are requesting a reduction in the quantities of vaccines shipped because they are no longer used. However, according to the interlocutor, it also depends a lot on the week, because sometimes the municipality manages to use the amount received, and the next one does not.

“But there are really many of those municipalities, I would say, most of them. Then the vaccines should be kept with us, “said J. Aleksaitė.

The most difficult situation regarding vaccination is in the municipalities of Šalčininkai and Visaginas.

In the past, coronavirus vaccines were shipped to municipalities in proportion to the population there. Subsequently, this system was abandoned and everything requested by the municipality itself was sent. Was this transformation worth it?

“It’s difficult to answer. The situation as it was in the spring and as it is now is very different. At that time, vaccines were relevant to everyone, there was a shortage of them, everyone wanted as much as possible. In summer, the rates of vaccination rates are less high, and the most relevant is probably still the Janssen vaccine as it only requires one dose.

The municipalities are very interested in this vaccine. We should also assign it to the stores of the National Blood Center, which travel all over Lithuania. So we still have a problem with the lack of this vaccine. But we have no problem with the distribution of other vaccines, ”said a SAM representative.

It is not ruled out that vaccines have to be donated to other countries

Approximately 740,000 doses of the vaccine are not currently used. Most vaccines are valid for half a year, except for Janssen, which is valid for 2 years. According to J. Aleksaitė, some vaccines will expire in August, but only a small number of them.

The biggest problem is with Moderna, because with such a short shelf life, all the Pfizer doses have already been used. As a last resort, if Moderna is not used, donation to other parties will be considered. According to the contractual obligations that were signed before the start of the vaccination process in Lithuania, our country will receive even more vaccines.

J. Aleksaitė hopes that people will be more willing to get vaccinated again in the fall. In addition, it is estimated that people who have already been vaccinated in the fall will need a booster dose of the third dose.

Due to the delta variety, an exponential growth of cases is starting in Lithuania

Professor Saulius Čaplinskas, an infectious disease specialist who participated in the fair, said that due to the delta variety, an exponential growth of cases is already starting in Lithuania. But the question is how drastically the number of infected people will increase.

Certain restrictions, according to S. Čaplinskas, will also be unavoidable in the future. Still, the professor would no longer support another extremely strict quarantine.

The interviewee appreciates the initiatives that bring vaccination closer to the population, but doubts how many people will want to be vaccinated and if the family doctors will actively participate in the process. He also notes that most residents are skeptical, but not enough is being done to change their minds on the bright side.

Several countries around the world are already taking strong measures to encourage vaccination of the population. Here, France has introduced mandatory vaccination for all medical workers and Latvia has decided to allow employers to fire workers who refuse to be vaccinated.

“Sanctions alone are not enough in any area. As well as agitations that encourage you to be prudent or follow the rules of the road. Complex measures are needed. On the other hand, it is important to inform citizens in advance what will happen and how. It is necessary to talk to people, but at the same time explain that some professions, some activities are particularly risky in terms of the spread of the virus. This is life in a new reality, that certain measures must be taken “, said the teacher.

The interviewee emphasizes that the less susceptible people in society are to the virus, that is, those who are sick or vaccinated, the less space there is for the virus to spread. However, the delta strain spreads extremely efficiently and quickly, so more than 80% of the virus needs to be vaccinated to prevent the virus from spreading at all and in isolated cases. populations. And it is not realistic to reach such figures in the near future.

“This means that in the future we will not prevent certain outbreaks of the disease, when large numbers of people can get it from just one person.” The more people are vaccinated, the less the virus will spread. The situation is complicated by the fact that it is now clear that the virus spreads not only through large droplets, but also through aerosols. For example, in their study, if someone wakes up longer and spreads more viruses, even after that person leaves, the virus remains in the air and another unvaccinated person can become infected, ”said S. Čaplinskas.