Dr. Tiodorovic warns: We may be in trouble in the fall, danger is real, Delta strain is also here

Dr Branislav Tiodorovic / Photo: Tanjug/Tara Radovanovic

We could be in trouble in the fall unless there is a serious approach to vaccination, because the Delta strain is much more contagious and is transmitted faster, says Professor Dr. Branislav Tiodorovic.

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September will be the key month. That is when school starts, when people return from vacations from various places, including from abroad, when they start working in collectives. October, on the other hand, will reveal how we did in the previous period, whether enough people got vaccinated, whether we adhered to Covid restrictions and what we should do next, says Tiodorovic.

Immunization is underway, we have a sufficient number of vaccines available, but we have not yet reached 50 percent adult vaccinated citizens, although we expected it to happen in late June - but we are certainly close. According to the latest data, more than 47.3 percent of citizens received the first dose, while more than 43.01 percent received both doses of the vaccine. The goal of reducing the number of new cases to below 100 has been achieved, and it seems that people have relaxed a bit more because of that.

"Life must go on and we all know that. People, especially young people, are also eager to travel, go out, party, attend concerts, sporting events, and all that is fine. Exit (festival) has great organization, vaccinated people can come without any problems, those who are not need a PCR test not older than 72 hours, so they will have to pay again when it expires. Antigen tests will also be done to immediately show if someone is infected. But that is complicated, that is why those who are vaccinated are freer, they will be able to be more relaxed. I don't expect any sudden changes during the summer, but an increase is possible in the fall when everyone returns to work, schools, then the winter will come, working indoors, so it is necessary to get vaccinated during the summer and respect (Covid) measures, masks indoors and increased disinfection of all surfaces, in the home, at work, in restaurants, bars," said the epidemiologist.

Is vaccination going slower than expected? The working age population has not yet reached the desired percentage in terms of vaccination, and the number is slightly above 40 percent, while those younger than 25 are far from the desired percentage. However, there is a chance to motivate the young and the working population and for the percentage of vaccinated people to reach the desired figure.

"When people see that the numbers are increasing in the fall, then, I believe, they will turn to getting vaccinated. We keep repeating, vaccination is the only solution and we must approach it seriously and responsibly. We all want to relax and not think about the disease, but the nature of the epidemic is such that it is not standing still and we must accept it. If we really want to 'strengthen', we can only do it with vaccination, because that is the best shield," the professor explains.

There is a debate about the need to receive the third dose, because all those who were vaccinated at the beginning of the year may have to receive another dose in the fall, although this is expected to start happening early next year.

"We are working on a study that should determine the level of collective immunity, that is, to determine the level of immunity in people who have been vaccinated. It should provide us with that kind of answer, both by age and by vaccine and generally by all parameters. It doesn't matter if you are older or younger, the territorial distribution is also observed, larger and smaller cities are compared. Furthermore, the study should determine whether those who have been vaccinated or have had the disease, what their level of immunity is. We will have the answer whether it's necessary to introduce the third dose before the end of the year, and I am certain that will happen only at the beginning of next year, but we will see what the study will show," Professor Tiodorovic has told Blic.

Summer, vacations, the declining number of new cases, it seems as if we have forgotten that the virus is still here. We have the vaccines, but people seem to find everything else more important than getting vaccinated. We must not forget what was happening in the past months, from the beginning of the epidemic until today. That people were dying regardless of age and health and that there were simply no rules. Vaccination is necessary and we all need to accept it, collectively. The more people get vaccinated, the more protected and free we are.

"In the beginning, everything went well, however, we have not yet reached 50% of vaccinated population. As the (Covid) numbers started to fall, more and more people are avoiding getting vaccinated during the summer, some are planning vacations, other activities, it's hot, so what if they get a fever, which is a common reaction, there are a lot of unnecessary excuses. They forget that there is a real danger that the number of new cases will increase in the fall. The Delta strain has also arrived, which has probably been present here for some time, it is more contagious, that is, it is transmitted faster, so we could be in trouble in the fall if we do not start taking vaccination seriously."

"People older than 65 have taken it more seriously while working age population should do that as well, which should give the coverage of 60, 70 percent of those vaccinated. Young people too should be more interested because they can be carriers, so there's nothing else to do but be responsible, continue wearing masks indoors, increase disinfection and for those who have not been vaccinated to do so," concluded the epidemiologist.

(Telegraf.rs)