THE DIRECTOR OF THE WHO OFFICE IN SERBIA WARNED: If the mortality of the crown is only 1%, we will have 50 deaths per day!

He stated that if we look at the speed of the increase in the number of patients, Serbia ranks second, just behind Estonia, and that additional measures will probably be needed to stabilize the situation and improve the epidemiological situation.

– This means that the situation is very serious and is deteriorating relatively quickly. We can expect Serbia to achieve new daily records in the number of patients, ”Ivanuša told Tanjug, adding that a great deterioration in terms of the number of deaths can be expected in the coming weeks. With so many new infections, it takes longer.

– If the number of patients is large, then it takes longer to calm the situation. We must know that if we have 5,000 infected people per day and if 20 percent of them end up in hospitals and stay in hospital for ten days, that means 10,000 hospital beds are needed for covid patients. If a quarter end up in intensive care, that means 2,500 beds are needed in intensive care, Ivanuša said.

If you factor in the death rate of just one percent, as he said, that means 50 people will die a day.

– These are all numbers that will catch up with us. We can expect a great deterioration in terms of the number of deaths in the coming weeks – he said.

Asked if the measures taken are sufficient and when the first effects can be expected, Ivanusa said that it takes at least a week to see the first results of certain measures, but that it takes several weeks for a more concrete improvement of the situation.

He states that many measures are in place in Serbia and that they give certain results, and that without them today we would have more than 10,000 patients a day.

– The measures that are in force give certain results, but as the situation is still getting worse, it is a sign that they are not enough. If everyone adhered to the measures, kept physical distance, wore masks, disinfected hands, if all the sick were isolated, if the contacts were quarantined, then the measures would be more than enough, he said.

He notes that people do not understand the seriousness of the situation until it dramatically worsens, and that this is one of the reasons why some countries have reached the point of “stopping life” again.

– We all avoid a complete stop, that is not a WHO recommendation if it is not necessary, “said Ivanuša.

When asked when the corona virus vaccine can be expected and when it will be available to the citizens of Serbia, Ivanuša said that the first doses of vaccines could be available by the end of the year.

– Now the question is which countries will provide the first doses. We know that demand is extremely high globally. Every dose of the vaccine that will arrive in Serbia, be it in December, January, February, March, will be very important. The first doses should be used to protect the most threatened, which are health workers, because they take care of our health – he emphasized.

He points out that we will need more patience for mass vaccination, and more vaccinations can be expected in the middle of next year.

– Until we have herd immunity, which is acquired through vaccination, public health measures are important to us – he concluded.