Ivanusa: Covid situation in Serbia hardest since start of pandemic, stricter measures possible

Photo: Tanjug/Sava Radovanovic

The director of the office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Serbia, Marjan Ivanusa, said on Wednesday that the current epidemiological situation in Serbia is perhaps the most difficult since the beginning of the pandemic, and that he believes that some more repressive measures could be introduced.

Recommended

He also called on all health workers to be brave, and not, as he said, scare people against getting vaccinated and preventing severe forms of the illness and death.

"The number of vaccinated people is not sufficient and should be increased. They get sick less often and if they get sick, they spread the virus less easily, while the unvaccinated get sick and spread the virus very easily," Ivanusa told Tanjug.

According to him, many things have been done in Serbia regarding this health crisis, but as long as 50 people are dying every day, there is reason to worry.

Booster dose

When asked about WHO's position on the third dose of the vaccine, Ivanusa explained that, despite the fact that drug agencies in some countries have recommend the third dose, the WHO remains somewhat conservative on that issue.

"If we are talking about preventing a severe form of illness and death, then vaccines are still very effective even after six months. If we are talking about completely preventing the disease, even milder and asymptomatic cases, then that efficiency after six months is about 60 percent," said the WHO director in Serbia.

Photo: Shutterstock

The question regarding the third dose of the vaccine being different from the previous two is still difficult for him, as he said, because of insufficient scientific evidence and clinical studies. However, Ivanusa explained that the experience so far has shown that some countries have changed the type of vaccine for different reasons, even in the second wave of vaccination.

"We don't expect that efficiency or safety of vaccines would be compromised if another one were used, for example an MRN vaccine, as the third dose," Ivanusa stressed.

The WHO is currently assessing in urgent procedure whether it will approve the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, which is of great importance for the distribution of vaccines to poor countries around the world through the Covax program, he said.

"The WHO is checking whether the vaccine that is produced has all the certificates, clinical trials, production inspection... Only when all procedures are completed and the WHO puts the seal of approval can it be used," Ivanusa explained and added that drug agencies in some countries have had the opportunity to use this vaccine earlier, as is the case in Serbia.

He stressed that the whole world is in trouble, since healthcare systems are preoccupied with Covid, which is why other, chronic patients suffer, while early detection and prevention of numerous dangerous diseases is hindered.

"We will feel the consequences of Covid for years, as the immediate consequences of Covid in people who recovered, but there will also be numerous consequences from other diseases that we are not able to treat and detect at this time," said Ivanusa.

(Telegraf.rs)