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The director of the American Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, believes that covid-19 will stop being a pandemic due to vaccines, but advises not to “lower his arms” because he predicts that the coronavirus is endemic.
“I doubt we’re going to eradicate this. We need to plan because it’s something we have to keep under chronic control. It can become endemic, something we need to be careful about. It certainly won’t remain a pandemic for much longer.” time, because I think vaccines will turn around, “he said this Thursday during a” webinar “with the Royal Institute of International Relations (Chatham House).
However, the epidemiologist also highlighted the need to continue respecting the guidelines to prevent the transmission of the virus, that is, the universal use of masks, physical social distance, avoiding crowds, socializing outdoors instead of closed spaces and washing hands.
“It seems so simple. But people identify it with confinement and there is no appetite for confinement, there is fatigue with covid in the United States and the rest of the world,” he acknowledged, highlighting the importance in the United States that different states implement more evenly. these rules because the situation in the country “is very difficult.”
Fauci warned of the risk that people will not follow the recommendations and restrictions due to the results announced on Monday by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German biotechnology company BioNTech that the vaccine they developed demonstrated greater than 90% effectiveness.
“Do not stop shooting because the cavalry is coming. Do not lower your weapons, it is better to continue fighting because they have not yet arrived. Help is on the way, but it has not yet arrived. Do not give up, do not despair, the end is at hand. It is I need to insist on public health measures, “he added.
Fauci said that the fact that SARS-Cov-2 is an RNA-type virus means that it is constantly mutating, but “most mutations are not necessarily functionally relevant,” and he does not expect it, based on in other viruses of the same type. Over time, it becomes more virulent.
“But I don’t think it necessarily interferes with the vaccine or the therapies,” he said.
For the future, regardless of the “general approach” that President-elect Joe Biden presents in January when he takes office, he advocates the need for more therapies for the early stages of the disease.
“Studies show that Dexamethasone and Remdesivir have positive effects later, when people are hospitalized, even when they have a ventilator that receives oxygen … We need and we have promising results, which I think will improve over time, antibodies monoclonal drugs against the virus, to avoid people having to go to the hospital, as well as direct antivirals, “he added.
Despite turning 80 in December and leading the Institute for 36 years, Fauci said he has no intention of retiring and that, in addition to covid-19, he wants to develop measures to combat other serious diseases such as malaria or tuberculosis.
“We have a lot to do in terms of global health and I will not leave without solving these [doenças]”He promised.
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