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So far, more than half a million people in Serbia have received vaccinations against kovid 19, while the corona virus has not yet subsided. The seat of the crisis is in an unenviable situation because employers hope that decisions will be made that relax epidemiological measures, while health workers believe that they must be even more strict. In the next staff session, that will be one of the topics, and in a conversation with “Politika”, Primarius Dr. Predrag Kon, epidemiologist and member of the Crisis Staff for the Suppression of Kovid 19, points out that it is too early to speak of flexibility measures. “The virus has to circulate much less than it is now to speak of it,” Dr. Cohn said.
However, will you give in to the pressure to extend the working hours of the catering facilities and allow some events to take place?
It depends on the situation and what the numbers show, how many patients we have and how many people are hospitalized. The current situation shows that it is not possible to speak of making the measures more flexible.
An extension of the working day must be distinguished from the prohibition of public meetings. The criteria for any award will be discussed later. Balanced measures are in force in Serbia that are not so drastic and maintain this situation for now.
Does that mean that the situation is not yet ripe for that?
We also have a new strain of the virus in circulation and we do not expect it to behave differently in our country than anywhere else in the world. We cannot know for sure what will happen in the next few weeks. We are registering a stabilization at a high level, but it does not tend to fall even slightly. Even as of January 25, there is a slight increase trend and we do not have an announcement of a major drop in patient numbers. It is inconceivable that something will change in mid-February. Desires are one, but their fulfillment does not depend on us but on the situation.
A group of our experts published an investigation that the first crown-related death in Europe was recorded in Serbia, which was proven by an autopsy of a man on February 7 last year. This opened the question of how long kovid 19 was present in our country before it was officially determined on March 6, 2020.
A preliminary statement was given from a group of authors. I congratulated them. We hope a full article will be published on that, because there are a number of questions related to that. This opens the mind that the virus may have been present, but we will see it only when we have the full article. It is not unrealistic to think that the virus was present before. We have border controls since January 22. A reputable magazine reported that the patient’s first case was found in France on December 27. But that person did not travel anywhere and it is not known how he became infected.
Despite these various investigations, there are opinions that the coronary pandemic does not exist, that the disease was invented, and that vaccines are harmful.
Despite the number of deaths and the extremely large number of severe cases of coronary heart disease, many people still do not believe that the disease exists. This is a problem because these people do not believe in science, and sometimes individuals in scientific circles consciously or unconsciously support such views.
How much does it affect the course of a pandemic if you have doctors people trust, who say you shouldn’t wear masks, and vaccinations are silly?
It affects extremely badly. In my opinion, that is not acceptable.
Is it necessary to have disputes against these people before the court of the Serbian Medical Chamber?
That is difficult to answer. It is necessary to socially define some kind of responsibility. It is true that the most authorized are professional associations and chambers. I would let them decide why it is the only right way. At this point, diverting attention from what is most important, which is vaccination, to other things, such as conflict of opinion, causes a drop in confidence and interest in immunization. When that happens, then we must react systematically. The Medical Chamber condemned such statements, and in a timely manner, and now is not the time to speak about the eventual determination of someone’s responsibility. Now the most important thing is to reduce the activity of the virus.
With the decline in virus activity, vaccinations are well under way. Some fear getting the vaccine because of side effects. How many have signed up so far?
At the moment, we have slightly less side effects after receiving the Chinese vaccine. But otherwise we do not have a large number of people who had some reactions, to about 480,000 vaccinated, that is, 71 cases. Of that number, only three cases required supervision.
But there are people who fear that the consequences of vaccination will be visible only in a few years.
No one can claim anything with absolute certainty. But, throughout the history of vaccination, these things have been constantly mentioned. And no link has ever been established between vaccines and some of the consequences that come after years. There were no such cause-and-effect relationships. The probability of something like this happening is extremely small.
And what about the assumptions that the Russian vaccine will provide protection for more than two years, the American one for six months, and that has yet to be determined for the Chinese?
That can only be said by some clairvoyant people. These people probably previewed, so they say that. These are only estimates. For now, the status of those who participated in the third phase of the vaccine trial is being monitored and it is being verified if they have antibodies. The only security is time. This means that, over time, it will be seen if and when those vaccinated could get sick. The view is that protection will last longer than was initially thought. In the case of the flu, the antibodies disappear very quickly and that is why people have to get vaccinated every season.
Some citizens of Serbia are unhappy because they think that it is not correct that many of them have not yet been invited to get vaccinated, while on the other hand, foreigners come to get vaccinated and have priority. How do you interpret that?
This is a question for those operating in the field. As far as I know, it is possible that all foreigners residing in our territory, as well as those who are temporarily employed in our country, are registered and vaccinated.
And have you heard stories that some Montenegrin citizens come here to get vaccinated, for which they pay 70 euros?
In any situation, care must be taken to check for criminal acts.
Some also sold false negative PCR tests.
When something like this happens globally, some petty scammers are sure to show up, but serious criminal acts will also occur, at least in some people’s imaginations. If anyone can perform a fake PCR test, it is their responsibility.
So are there certain doctors and unions that have declared that one day you will be responsible for everything you did during the pandemic?
The only enemy I have is a virus. I try to do my job the best I can. I experienced that in one case the title of an interview I gave was abused. That started an avalanche that has nothing to do with the experience and what I really said. This shows that the sensitivity of this moment is great. I am behind everything I do. I know that no one will ever be able to confront me with colleagues, no matter how hard they try. I can understand someone’s emotional statements, but they are not acceptable. Once I reacted emotionally to that and showed that I am also a human being and that I suffer greatly from the loss of the lives of my colleagues. It is not an exclusive right of anyone. I wish all my colleagues all the best. Criticism is always useful because it raises issues that must be explored to the end. I represented very clearly the opinion of the medical profession at the crisis headquarters. I have no problem looking into my eyes, at no time.
But some of his colleagues think he has sided with the authorities. Has it occurred to many that you praised the inauguration ceremony of the Stefan Nemanja monument, despite the fact that it is considered that epidemiological measures were not fully respected at that event?
I didn’t support her at all. On the contrary, I said that the bitter taste remained because they did not adhere to all the measures at that time, they did not maintain physical distance and the presence of a large number of people in one place. I have expressed my admiration for this monument and do not intend to withdraw that opinion. Perhaps someone thinks that I am completely ignorant of art, but that monument fascinates me.
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