The presidency does not see the third wave of COVID-19: the improvement has stopped, but the conclusions are drawn early

In addition to the Senior Advisor, the Head of the Economic and Social Policy Group S.Krėpšta, the Minister of Health Arūnas Dulkys and four members of the Council of Health Experts also participated in the press conference: prof. Mindaugas Stankūnas, prof. Edited by Sužiedėlienė, prof. Kęstutis Petrikonis and prof. Aurelija Žvirblienė.

Calling the third wave is inaccurate

According to S.Krėpšta, during the meeting with experts, the situation of the pandemic and the latest trends were reviewed.

We should not draw strict conclusions about the current situation, it is much better than in December, we are in the situation of October, he said.

“It can be said that the deadline, the third wave, would not be precise and correct,” he said in response to concern from Statistics Lithuania on Monday that the third wave of COVID-19 had started.

According to S. Krėpšta, it would be inaccurate to speak of the third wave, because the population associates it with high mortality, high infection rates and strict restrictions.

It really makes sense to discuss an immunity passport like this one.

The possibility of immunity passports emerging was also discussed during the meeting.

“It really makes sense to discuss such an immunity passport, because other countries are doing the same, we have the example of Israel,” said the president’s adviser.

According to him, it is necessary to actively consider the possibility of introducing such a passport also in Lithuania.

AstraZeneca president could get vaccinated

S.Krėpšta noted that the communication campaign about vaccines and their safety is significant. According to him, one can learn from other countries that information on vaccines should not be sought by the person himself; on the contrary, the information must reach you much earlier.

“Without a doubt, the president has already mentioned many times that he is ready to be vaccinated, as soon as there is a possibility and some vaccine is currently available in Lithuania. <...> and AstraZeneca, Krėpšta said, when asked about the possibility of vaccinating the president with a vaccine, the effectiveness of which is questioned by the population.

Speaking about launches, he noted that the situation is better, but that before each launch, a very careful evaluation is needed to see if they present any risks.

The upgrade stopped

Professor M.Stankūnas from the Department of Health Management at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) noted that positive epidemiological trends, which were previously rewarding, have stopped, but there are also good signs: the number of deaths Single-digit COVID -19 was recorded a hundred days earlier.

“The statistics are really positive,” he said.

It is true that the number of municipalities where the number of cases increased has increased.

“In more than a third of the municipalities, the effective indicator R is currently more than one. <...> On January 19 there were only four municipalities, and we have more municipalities where we can observe a certain resumption of the spread of the epidemic ”, said the professor during the press conference.

In the district municipalities of Širvintos, Anykščiai and Švenčionys, the number of cases increased relatively more.

“But it is worth mentioning that these are small municipalities and indeed such fluctuations are very common,” said M. Stankūnas. “A home is dramatically changing our numbers.”

The mobility of the population also increased, the analysis showed that “the mobility of the Lithuanian population is growing and has been stable since the beginning of January,” said the professor.

This could be attributed to the higher number of COVID-19 cases, he said.

The mobility of the Lithuanian population is growing and has been stable since the beginning of January.

And he pointed out that the increase in the number of people infected with the virus should not be associated with open businesses, because it took very little time to notice such a trend.

Immunity passport: the near future?

The immunity passport was also discussed in the expert discussion with the President.

During the press conference, the vice-rector of the LSMU, K. Petrikonis, stated that such a passport could include not only a group of vaccinated people or a sick population, but also all those who could demonstrate signs of immunity through medical tests .

However, he added that to prevent criminal activity, fraud, it is first necessary to apply modern and reliable technologies to create such passports.

“This certificate or passport is first a medical problem and then a social one. And it should not be done the other way around, what some countries are proposing is a certain lack of communication,” he said.

According to him, if the pandemic situation lasts longer than the planned end of the vaccination, it will move to the autumn, “these tools will be crucial for us to return to normal life.”

The professor believes that at the level of the European Union, this issue could gain momentum in just two months, but it also depends on the rate of vaccination: a certain immunity must be developed.

“But we have to prepare, because we will get to that,” he said.

For survivors: a vaccine

A.Žvirblienė, an immunologist at the Vilnius University (VU) Life Sciences Center, presented the latest scientific data during a press conference, showing that people with coronavirus can maintain immunity for longer than expected.

“Every day more and more data appears on the resistance of people with the disease to the virus, and we know that there are now more than 100 million people in the world. there have been recurrences and very few cases of reinfection, ”he said.

Furthermore, studies have shown that immune memory cells, which provide protection against the virus, persist for more than half a year.

“There is a lot of data from Israel, which is an example of a successful vaccination, about half of the population has already been vaccinated. There, as in Lithuania, people who had fallen ill were not vaccinated there, “he said, adding that this decision in both Israel and Lithuania, in his opinion, was correct.

Based on the example of Israel, A. Žvirblienė explained that people who were sick and vaccinated with one dose of the vaccine had the same amount of antibodies as those who had not been vaccinated and were vaccinated with two doses.

This, he said, suggests that just one dose of the vaccine will be enough for people with coronavirus. And some countries, like France, have already made that decision, he said.

Now there are more than 100 million people in the world. recurrent cases and very few reinfection.

According to the professor, once an immunity passport has been created, exemptions for residents who have it could extend beyond travel.

“Looking at the same Israeli example, it is also a kind of facilitation for business and contact work, it will certainly not be just for travel. This is very important both for educational institutions and for our entire recovery, ”he said at a press conference.

The prime minister was not sure of the passport.

Although in January Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė considered that a separate document might be available not only for people who had been vaccinated, but also for people with coronavirus, all people with antibodies were unsure about the document in early February.

I. Šimonytė stated that the EU is likely to agree to such a document when traveling from one state to another, and no decision has been taken in Lithuania.

Not only that, the prime minister even hinted that he hopes to handle the situation within the country without this passport.

Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys recently stated that he sees that passport only as a joint EU project.

“The vaccination passport and the rules for its use only seem to make sense if its rules and use are agreed across the EU, and not just by adapting some of its uses at the national level,” he said a good week ago.

Read more about vaccine passports here.