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Regardless of the fact that we hope that vaccination will make it easier to get out of this situation, we must be aware that this cannot happen in a short period of time and that we will have to stick to all measures, probably for a long time, said the epidemiologist and member tonight. of the Crisis Staff. Branislav Tiodorović.
“We must be aware that the vaccine will lead to herd immunity, but we cannot vaccinate the entire nation at that time either. There will be people who will not be able to receive the vaccine for various reasons, there will be people under 18 years of age who will not be given it. the vaccine … Vaccine “It is important, necessary, we are waiting for it, but until then we must rigorously stick to current measures,” Tiodorovic told RTS.
The director of the WHO office in Belgrade, Marijan Ivanuša, stated that Serbia is among the 10-15 most affected countries in Europe and currently among the first in terms of the speed of deterioration of the situation, and that they should be considered additional measures.
Ivanuša said that vaccine producers, and especially what is said about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, must provide complete documentation to the regulatory bodies that decide on the use of the vaccine.
He believes that we can be optimistic, because these are serious producers, and adds that the registration process will be done in an accelerated process.
The prescribed period for obtaining a permit in our country is 150 days, but with good coordination, this period can be accelerated, it was said in the program “Thursday at 9”.
“The development of the vaccine is very expensive, and now there is money available, because it is very important to get the vaccine as soon as possible, because large countries like the United States are also affected,” says Ivanuša.
The Covax initiative covers around 190 countries, indicating great solidarity when it comes to the future availability of the vaccine for those low-income countries.
“By the end of 2021, there should be around two billion doses available that will be distributed fairly. Of course, with the Kovacs initiative, countries also sign contracts individually with manufacturers, so it is not the same if it appears as a customer with a demand of 1 billion or 10 million doses. “, explained Ivanuša. No vaccine can be confirmed without a safety check and a certificate of efficacy, Ivanusa said.
“Now we have clear evidence that it is possible to have an effective vaccine and that is good news. Very often nuances in the language can confuse that something is accelerated and it is not. All the steps have been passed and everything has been tested very precisely, “said the UNICEF consultant. for immunization, Dr. Dragoslav Popović.
Popovic said it is important for citizens to know that these are safe and effective vaccines.
“Most likely, they will be received in two doses a couple of weeks apart. But they should know that all this will happen only in the first half of next year, and that they should adhere to the measures,” Popovic emphasized.
It considers that the most important thing is to urgently adopt a plan so that when the vaccine arrives it is used in the best way, which represents an additional challenge when it comes to distribution.
When it comes to which groups are a priority when it comes to vaccination, Ivanuša says that although each country decides priorities individually, and most agree with the WHO view that these categories primarily include healthcare workers and to the employees of the gerontology centers, because they are the most exposed and work with vulnerable groups.
Then there are the age groups, people over 65 are less resistant, as well as people with chronic diseases. However, initially the quantities will be very limited, so the priority groups will be defined within the groups themselves, ”explains Ivanusa.
Popovic says that if there is a plan when the vaccines arrive, the job will be done successfully.
“We will work to protect certain groups, but also to increase the immunity of the population. Vaccination will certainly last, but that is the process that should bring a solution,” Popovic believes.
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