Dr. Tiodorovic: Getting the vaccine saves you from going on a ventilator

Photo: Tanjug/Tara Radovanovic/ Pixabay

Due to the increased travel, vacations, and arrival of citizens from the diaspora, hospitals will certainly be full and everyone who is vulnerable will get sick, epidemiologist Branislav Tiodorovic is warning, and adding that three quarters of those hospitalized are over 70 years old.

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He told Politika that 60 to 80 percent of them are unvaccinated or have received two, but not the third dose.

"Getting the vaccine saves that category of the population from going on a ventilator," Tiodorovic stressed.

However, he said that compared to earlier strains of coronavirus, various variants of Omicron cause incomparably fewer hospitalizations and deaths, which, he added, does not mean that the oldest citizens and at-risk groups such as patients with oncological, cardiovascular and neurological conditions and all those with a compromised immune system are not very much threatened by the resurgence of coronavirus.

Tiodorovic said that those categories of the population should get the fourth dose of the existing vaccines against coronavirus as soon as possible if five months have passed since the previous vaccination, and especially if they skipped the third dose.

He appeals on citizens to keep distance and reminds that the recommendation to wear masks indoors has never been lifted, and that vulnerable categories of the population in particular should adhere to it.

"Individual responsibility is very important for now and will reduce the risk of infection. That's why I appeal on younger and middle-aged citizens, especially those who come to us from countries with an increased number of infected people, to be careful and protect their grandparents and parents by keeping distance and wearing a mask," stressed Tiodorovic.

He noted that the official number of new cases on a daily basis is not credible and is only an indicator referring to those who got tested, and not the actual number of infected citizens.

"When we have about 5,000 cases proven through testing, there are probably five, six times more infected citizens, but they have no visible signs of the disease," said Tiodorovic and added that Serbia is not an exception and that the number of infected people is expected to increase in all European countries.

(Telegraf.rs)