Kon ahead of Crisis HQ session: Situation is catastrophic, we had a meeting with Brnabic

Photo: Tanjug/Sava Radovanovic

Epidemiologist Dr. Predrag Kon, a member of the coronavirus Crisis HQ, spoke before the session of that body and called the situation catastrophic. He said that the medical part of the HQ held consultations with Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and that he does not see any improvement, which is why he hopes that the attitude towards the epidemiological situation will "shift."

Recommended

"We did have consultations, we from the medical part insist on the implementation of what was previously proposed. We have not seen improvement in 12 days, certainly not. Things may have stabilized, but we are at a catastrophic level and that is by no means a real improvement. We have not seen the coverage of immunization improve, people are being vaccinated every day, but there should be ten times more of them. In such an atmosphere, there will be new meetings of the Crisis HQ and I sincerely hope that there will be a shift, but there can be no change in the stance of the medical part because it is formed based on facts and the epidemiological situation which is extraordinary and occasionally catastrophic. We only agree that the permanent way out is vaccination," he said.

"Two processes are ongoing on in parallel, on the one hand we are entering the winter period, it will be cold and that is a suitable period for respiratory viruses. We are entering the season of family patron saint celebrations, that is another negative thing. The conditions and moments that await us are quite unfavorable, where we cannot expect this to stop without serious consideration of contacts and respect of measures. And in parallel, people either become immune or die. Both are facts," he said.

Asked to comment or advise people before their family patron saint celebrations, Kon spoke strongly.

"We are under the impression, and the data shows that we have stopped respecting the measures, last year we realized it was not the time to celebrate like we are used to. Will it be like that now, well it doesn't seem that way, and despite everything, there are still have weddings and mass infections," he said.

"The virus looks for, and finds, the weakest and those are the ones who make most contacts. Those are people under 30, and up to the age of 55. And the youngest, who are the least vaccinated, will yet be getting infected en masse. There is a kind of solidarity, an upside down one, the impression is created that it is 'cool' to be unvaccinated and that when you are unvaccinated, nothing can touch you, you are stronger than fate," Kon ironically quoted a line from a song by folk singer Mitar Miric.

(Telegraf.rs)