S.Čaplinskas – about COVID-19, which “came with everything”: winter is harsher than last year

According to the Statistics Department on Sunday, 800 people were infected with COVID-19 last day, 16 died from the infection.

Last year, we only had a similar situation in October.

On September 11 last year, 60 cases of coronavirus were recorded in Lithuania, there were no deaths at all.

Why is the situation so much worse now?

It only takes a few seconds to get infected

According to S. Čaplinskas, the prevalent delta strain of coronavirus in Lithuania is spreading much faster than, for example, the Wuhan strain or others.

“When the delta strain arrives, it takes less time to be with an infected person to become infected faster”, 15 minutes the scientist commented.

It was previously recommended to avoid contact with humans for more than 15 minutes, as it takes about this time to become infected with the Wuhan strain.

“With the delta variety, it doesn’t take a few minutes, but a few seconds,” said S. Čaplinskas.

In his opinion, the efforts that have been and are being made to stop the spread of the virus are not enough.

“I have said many times that if we let the virus spread, it will spread. It does not take a special prophet or virologist to realize that this fall, this winter can be much harsher than before,” said the virologist.

It is worth wearing masks, using sprays.

However, at least stopping the spread of COVID-19 is not that simple.

“The development of an infectious process requires three conditions: the source of the infection, the appropriate transmission routes and a susceptible person. If the chain breaks at some point, the infectious process will not develop, <...> epidemic nesivystys.

Now it is very difficult to diagnose the source of the infection and eliminate it.

When a third person transmits the virus to another, they never develop symptoms; they won’t know they’re sick if they don’t get tested.

The second person at the time of infecting another person also does not know, only a third of people develop symptoms, “said S. Čaplinskas, summarizing that it will never be possible to eliminate all sources of infection when COVID-19 is spreading. .

Coronavirus is transmitted by airborne droplets, so you should not inhale the air exhaled by a sick person to prevent infection.

“How do you do that if you don’t know who is infected?

You need to keep your distance, avoid going to places where people can get infected, wear medical masks, use nasal sprays with iota-carrageenan, which moisten the mucosa and bind to the virus, ”said S. Čaplinskas.

It is important to acquire herd immunity

The third way he identified is to break the chain of infection by getting immunity, which can be done in two ways: by getting COVID-19 or by getting vaccinated.

“We do not acquire immunity to this virus at birth,” emphasized S. Čaplinskas.

We do not acquire immunity to this virus at birth.

He argued that vaccination is not the only, but the most effective and best way to obtain immunity to COVID-19, while at the same time seeking to achieve herd immunity in society.

“When a delta strain has emerged that spreads much faster and requires a 10 times lower dose of the virus, it is estimated that herd immunity requires [turėti] about 90 percent. all populations that have acquired immunity.

The mission is impossible, everyone probably understands it, even with enough vaccinations. On the other hand, the more people get vaccinated, <...> there will still be less room for the virus to spread, “said the scientist.

Some people don’t follow that measure and see no other ways to protect themselves, but the virus spreads.

But applying a single measure, which is vaccination, in his opinion, is wrong:

“It is wrong, especially from a medical point of view, to see only one tool, even if it is the most important and effective. To promote it alone, all the more so because some people do not follow the measure and do not see other ways to protect themselves, but the virus spreads “.

Says closing doesn’t solve anything

According to S. Čaplinskas, to reduce the extent of infections, a series of measures should be applied.

“Why do vaccinated people get sick? Because that balance is no longer enough for the immune system to neutralize the amount of virus it has just received. It means that the more antibodies there are, the greater the amount of virus. [imunitetas] will be able to neutralize.

<...> On the other hand, if people wear a medical mask, keep their distance, avoid situations in which they can breathe a lot of virus and contract less virus, it can also be enough for the immune system to recover ”, explained the virologist.

But can the situation with COVID-19 get so bad that we have to go back to closed life, to distance learning?

According to S. Čaplinskas, it would be inappropriate, it is necessary to learn to live with the coronavirus, because it will not disappear:

“What is the purpose of this distance education, the total quarantine, or to defeat the virus, or to delay the solution of the problem? Just postpone the resolution of the problem. This is how far we can get away from solving the problem at the expense of the children, or at the expense of other health problems, at the expense of the psychological.

<...> You need to learn to live in such conditions, with the virus. Virus <...> came with everything. It’s not going anywhere. “

For now, we’ll count the sick and the dead

Later, when society acquires herd immunity, the properties of the virus, according to S. Čaplinskas, will change: they will remember a cold.

“But until that happens, it will be as it is now, we will count the sick, unfortunately we will count the dead,” noted the virologist.

And for this, according to him, it is necessary to prepare in hospitals:

“Let’s prepare the health system resources, let’s prepare the COVID-19 beds, let’s prepare the COVID-19 pediatric beds, the children are also sick.”

The wrong narrative has been chosen for us to endure, we will live to live this season, we will be vaccinated, and we will be able to continue living as before.

“The wrong narrative was chosen so that we can endure, we will live this season, we will be vaccinated and we will be able to continue living as before,” added S. Čaplinskas.

Residents, he says, need to change their behavior and you need motivation, and if they don’t, the violence will only work up to a point:

“Another wrong narrative is that everything in Lithuania is through control, through bans, through punishments, and not through the fact that a person understands why they have to change their behavior.”