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Not only in Lithuania are the news about changes in coronavirus strains worrying. In general, as the professor explained, there are an infinite number of such virus strains. When a virus multiplies, even an infected person can have multiple strains.
However, according to the interlocutor, when talking about strains, it is important to know how much the properties of the virus that are relevant to us fundamentally change. In this sense, the professor highlighted the three most important themes.
The first is, to what extent do these strains alter the chances of the virus spreading?
“We know that the chances of spreading the ‘British’ and South African varieties are much greater,” Usonis said.
The second question is, do these strains alter the clinical course of a viral infection?
“It just came to our knowledge then. The data on whether diseases caused by new strains are more serious are very controversial. You can find statements that claim to be more severe. However, there are those who say otherwise,” said V. Usonis.
The third question is, do any of the registered vaccines also “cover” protection against new strains?
“There is not yet a solid answer to this question. It takes time to see in real life if vaccinated people are more likely to be infected with new strains of virus than with traditional ones,” said V. Usonis.
It is important to understand one simple thing
According to the professor, based on all the knowledge about the new strains and the spread of the disease in humans, the main thing is to understand that “we have to achieve high vaccination rates in our country as soon as possible.”
“Everyone is very tired of the quarantine. The quarantine and all its restrictions have played their role so that we have the numbers we have today, not the ones we had in December. But going forward, we should link increased infection control to public immunity. We are talking about vaccination, ”said V. Usonis.
In explaining the importance of vaccines, the professor again made three main points:
The first is, “First of all, the person who vaccinates himself benefits from the vaccine.”
Second, “the more people vaccinated, the higher the level of public immunity.”
Third, “the higher the level of public immunity, the less intense is the circulation of the virus in such a society. And it has been hypothesized that this reduces the likelihood of viral mutations. “
According to him, it is difficult to tell from currently published data how widespread the “British” strain of the virus is in our society.
“It just came to our notice then. To guide us by the facts, we need to greatly expand those genetic tests to really know what is happening in our country.
However, it is logical that if we have many contacts with the UK, if our people return from there, it is very natural that there is the possibility that there are infected people among them, ”said V. Usonis.
Communication has been criticized
The teacher criticizes the communication for the importance of vaccination. According to him, she is “unsuitable for anyone” in Lithuania.
After all, there is a Council of Experts under the Government, a group of experts under the Ministry of Health, and an independent group of experts on national immunoprophylaxis. Where is everyone? They have to talk every day, even before the vaccine arrives, they have to explain, listen to people’s questions and answer them. And it has to be done by people who belong to those groups of experts where our official position is formed. I don’t belong to those groups, “said V. Usonis.
According to the interlocutor, the lack of communication was followed by the news that “people are very afraid that they will get a fever after being vaccinated.”
“But it could be, read the description! In primary care facilities, where work is well organized, everyone who arrives at the vaccination point receives a description.
He says that vaccination is a biological process. Vaccination can include phenomena such as local pain at the injection site (regardless of the person vaccinated), fever, worsening on the day of vaccination and two or three days after vaccination. People must be informed of all this so that it is not a terrible and unexpected surprise for them, ”said V. Usonis.
According to the doctor, these post-vaccination processes must be managed.
“Let’s say that when I was vaccinated, I received a brochure that said if the temperature exceeds 38 degrees, I would take acetaminophen. Very simple. When people don’t get that knowledge, then even a small rise in temperature turns into fear. A greater rise in temperature turns into an even greater fear. The temperature does not rise to 40 degrees from what we read in the media. Of course, if the temperature is that high, the heart will “mask”, the mouth will dry out and the head will ache, “said V. Usonis.
The professor explained that it is perfectly normal for the temperature to rise after vaccination.
“After the vaccine is administered, we activate the immune system. The purpose of vaccination is for the immune system to respond, to reorganize itself as it does when it is sick and to produce immune defenses, all the structures: cellular, antibodies and the so-called mediators.
All of this is a reaction of the immune system. This is normal. It is incomparably lighter than when a person has a natural infection. That’s why we get vaccinated.
It’s just that it is already true that some people react more strongly. They need to be psychologically prepared for such reactions, they need to be aware of them. And they have to be prepared to manage them.
The first steps are very simple, they are antipyretics, mainly paracetamol, and plenty of fluids. And only if these things no longer work, which is quite rare, then other measures may be necessary, ”explained V. Usonis.
An unequal choice
For those who fear that the vaccine and the ongoing post-vaccination process “may” shake “some respectable and already fragile health in the body,” and that “they may not survive,” the professor advises looking at the coronavirus statistics. deceased.
“I have worked as an infectious disease physician my entire working life. In almost fifty years, I do not remember another such infectious disease in which more than three thousand people would die each year. Neither the terrible meningococcus nor the diphtheria outbreak has claimed as many lives as we see today. That choice is.
I understand very well that when we are a particular person, the person who is experiencing some type of undesirable post-vaccination phenomenon, is experiencing it all 100 percent, and for him alike, many other people are not. But if I spoke about my surroundings, there were ninety among the people I knew and everything was in order for them (they did not experience any discomfort) ”, said V. Usonis.
The professor also pointed to the news that the State Drug Control Service has already received around 800 reports of adverse events after the vaccine.
“But after looking at those reports, it turned out that these were post-vaccination events that should be expected and should be handled properly,” Usonis said.
People find it difficult to innovate in medicine
When asked about fears about a particular vaccine, the professor noted that people in general are very cautious about taking new things in medicine. He recalled that at first people were also very afraid of chickenpox, of meningococcal vaccines.
“Remember how people feared the RNA vaccine that ‘there is genetic material here’ and ‘that genetic material will be grafted onto me. The genome will change ”,“ how we will degenerate here ”. People are attentive to every innovation. (…) People need to be properly informed. People have to try too. The RNA-based vaccine has been vaccinated for two months, people have seen that everything is in order and their opinion has changed ”, said V. Usonis.
The professor explained that Astra Zeneca is a vaccine made on an adenovirus platform. A monkey-derived adenovirus is used there.
In general, according to the interlocutor, said vaccine technology that uses another biological virus is not new. Two hundred years ago, the vaccinia virus was vaccinated in humans. This vaccine has been used to eradicate smallpox.
“But the anti-waxers say again that ‘we’ll inject some monkey in there.’ There is nothing of a monkey, no cells, no proteins. There are viruses that attack monkeys, but those viruses are completely harmless to humans. The human immune system does not have antibodies against these viruses, so these viruses have been chosen to carry information about the structures of the virus needles to human immune cells, ”explained Usonis.
According to the teacher, “talking is all complicated.”
“In short, we must make it clear that we live in the 21st century. Our society is highly specialized. The safety of our medicines is in charge of the European Medicines Agency. It is a structure independent of any government or industry. It employs highly specialists qualified from various countries. They value a lot of data. They present all this to us in a very simplified way. If a vaccine or a drug is registered, it means that it meets the requirements of safety and efficacy, “emphasized V. Usonis.
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