[ad_1]
– Last day 66 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the country. Do these relatively small numbers compared to what we had in previous case statistics mean that the virus is declining?
– The processes are going as expected. Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) have repeatedly noted that the virus is seasonal. Naturally, with the arrival of summer, its spread slows down. And how it will fall will largely depend on our preparation. So it is up to us what opportunities we give this virus to spread.
The key is to keep in mind the new reality that is constantly being talked about. That is, some safeguards are needed. It is also important to adhere to restrictions, especially in closed or poorly ventilated areas.
– What preparation would be an appropriate response to a possible return of the virus in the fall?
– More exemptions, because it is not worth keeping the restrictions for a long time. Let’s face it: some people don’t live in quarantine for a long time. The bans have been in effect for no more than three or four weeks. Long-term indirect damage to all closures can turn into one with far worse consequences than the virus itself.
When fall comes around, you may need to remember some of the restrictions. For example, you will probably need to wear masks. They are more likely to be necessary for mass events, going to closed spaces, shopping centers, that is, places where a lot of people browse.
Ventilation will also be very important. In my opinion, the further we go, the more we should talk about interior ventilation. Therefore, new standards should emerge. Since the new Indian variety is spreading much faster, it cannot be ruled out that it may be infected even when the room is empty if it previously contained at least one of the so-called Super a carrier who has spread the virus.
– If we have a mass vaccination plan, why do you say that we will partially return to quarantine? Why is it not possible to live like another strain of flu that will be activated seasonally?
– Quarantine is a special measure. It would be good if we forget it. But you won’t be able to do that. Remember that even in the case of seasonal flu, especially during a difficult period, there are several restrictions.
We have effective vaccines, so the main challenge now should not be the new restrictions, but the vaccination of people who doubt the benefits of vaccination. Citizens need help finding science-based information and answers. And that would help them make the decision to get vaccinated and not succumb to the infodemic.
– In southern countries, such as Italy, Malta, France, face masks are still mandatory outdoors. And in Lithuania we are talking about the total abolition of quarantine. How to understand and explain this?
– I do not understand the arguments why masks should be used outdoors. Maybe it’s some cultural stuff? Or maybe these ways aim to unify them so that they are portable everywhere. But again, I and other experts have said that the mask should only be used where it is needed. After all, entering the room, the mask will hydrate and lose its filtering properties. Therefore, you will lose the properties necessary to protect yourself against the virus. Let me remind you that the WHO also does not recommend wearing masks outdoors, only indoors and in poorly ventilated rooms. Or where a lot of people congregate.
– Do you see opportunities to recapture the Baltic travel bubble in the near future?
– In April of last year, the so-called COVID certificate was discussed. Its main idea is that a person should be able to manage their own risks, know their COVID-19 disease status. Also if he poses for others or not. This is one aspect of the new reality. Now, as at the beginning of the pandemic, the goal remains to prevent the virus from spreading, that is, to enter and spread.
The WHO makes it clear that the pandemic is not over yet. And it will not be defeated quickly. However, in the European Union we are in a somewhat privileged position, because the further we advance, the more vaccinated we are. We cannot say the same about the level of immunization in other regions. And it will definitely take longer.
Now a passport of opportunities has been created. Also a European green certificate. They are among the tools that can manage risk. I would liken it to riding a motorcycle with all the necessary protective gear. It is as if you feel protected, but at the same time you have to be careful because you do not know when you could be involved in a complex accident. The same here. Additional measures reduce the likelihood of a disaster, but do not in any way mean that there is no risk of infection.
– As planned, mass vaccination exhales after vaccination for those who want it. Additional options are now being explored to reactivate it. Will this fix the situation?
– Unfortunately, I won’t say anything new. The benefits of vaccines need to be constantly repeated to dispel the myths that prevail as generations change. Social networks have a great negative impact. And let’s face it, I’ll repeat what I said from the beginning when the pandemic started. Proper communication is needed, which was not the case throughout the pandemic. There was no preparation for the time when the refrigerators were full of vaccines. More than a thousand doses of the life-saving vaccine have been dispensed, and those who doubt the benefits of the vaccine continue to doubt because they do not get answers to the questions that concern them. In general, the availability and acceptability of the service is very important. If a person does not come for the vaccine, they should go to the person.
– Currently, almost 1.2 million have been vaccinated with the first dose in Lithuania and about 780 thousand with both. population. Aren’t the numbers too small to speak of a depleted universal vaccination?
– These are really too small numbers in the general sense. Furthermore, the numbers are too small to overcome the pandemic. These are numbers too small to defeat a pandemic in a work team or community. I hope we understand that if there is no room for the virus to spread, it will not spread.
If there is a person in the environment who does not have immunity, they will spread the virus. Vaccination is necessary for the management and prevention of outbreaks, and there are only isolated cases. We will not avoid them until there is universal vaccination, and this process will take some time.
– Today 12– 15 m. teens start getting vaccinated with Pfizer. Does this mean that there is a change in the perception that children cannot have COVID-19 and that it is appropriate to vaccinate them if only 4% of children in their age group get sick?
– And yes and no. It was clear from the start that children could get sick too, even before teenagers. Only the younger the patients, the less often they are admitted to hospitals and the less often they are found in very serious forms. Looking at the new Indian variety, we see that it is not a typical form of the disease known so far. This variety is more likely to damage the digestive organs, and in many cases, especially in summer, it is easy to mistake for food poisoning.
Children are sick and can transmit the virus to those for whom the disease can be particularly dangerous and can even lead to death. Vaccinating children will help control the spread of the disease and help prevent a difficult clinical course.
– Will it help get students back to school in the fall?
– Let’s remember what the World Health Organization said from the beginning. The closure of children’s educational establishments is an extreme measure with very negative consequences. Even if the spread of the virus in educational institutions cannot be completely prevented, only in exceptional cases and only for a defined period of time, certain classes can be closed, but not the entire educational process.
[ad_2]
