Dr. Jankovic also confirms we're at the beginning of the 4th wave: "Not a chance it will pass us by"

As Jankovic explained, studies show that the effectiveness of vaccines is declining when it comes to preventing infection

Doctors are in complete agreement that we are at the beginning of a new coronavirus wave, the deputy director of University Clinical Center (UKC) Nis, Profressor Dr. Radmilo Jankovic, has told RTS.

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"It is devastating that we have gone from being a leader in the region, even one of the leaders in Europe, to a country that is at the bottom in terms of the number of immunized people, and that price will be paid in September, and I believe even earlier, in mid-August," Jankovic said.

He explained that this is clearly shown by the numbers that indicate first examinations, and that this number is slowly growing in the south.

"What worries all of us who ran the Covid system here in the south, which was by far under the most pressure, is how to await that wave and how to give precise information and explanations to people we expect help from, in order to be as ready as possible for that wave," says Jankovic.

As for the measures, he believes that it is not realistic to expect stricter restrictions and some greater discipline.

"It's summer, people want a normal life, to live freely, most of them are already on vacation. What is problematic is that most are returning to Serbia without any control," adds Jankovic.

He stressed that there are already indications that many of them, including children who went on excursions, are returning infected.

When asked if professionals can ask for the introduction of mandatory vaccination, Jankovic said that serious work should be done on immunization. He also stressed that we must await the next wave, which will surely come, ready.

"There is absolutely no chance that it will pass us by, we must raise the overall level of immunization, motivate young people above all," Jankovic added.

According to him, studies show that the effectiveness of vaccines is declining when it comes to preventing infection, even the most effective Pfizer vaccine.

"The efficiency is still at a high level in terms of preventing hospitalization in intensive care units and the need for mechanical ventilation, but it cannot seem to prevent infection at such an efficient level," Jankovic explained and added that the situation with the Sinopharm vaccine is much more problematic.

He pointed out that the people who were vaccinated with the Sinopharm vaccine are mostly elderly fellow citizens who were immunized first, as well as that the effectiveness of that vaccine is declining.

"We must be realistic and tell people, they must not wait for September unprepared, it's very important that the state adopts a plan for those people as soon as possible," said Jankovic.

Therefore, he stressed, it is very important to explain to these people why it is important to receive the third dose of the vaccine.

"There is absolutely no other way out of all this than increasing immunization, and the percentage among our general population that is even below 40 percent is bad, not to say catastrophic. We won't fare well in September," concluded Jankovic.

(Telegraf.rs)