The First Broadcast of Radio Proto hosted the member of the epidemiological team Dr. Petros Karagiannis, who spoke about the location of the new strain of the coronavirus in Cyprus, about the opening of schools, but also about the possibility of implementing new measures.
He initially stated that they did not know if the outbreak of the virus in Cyprus was linked to the 12 mutation cases identified by the descent of citizens from the United Kingdom. He added that the cases arrived in Cyprus before the mandatory quarantine was implemented, stressing that there is a possibility that the virus mutation in the United Kingdom will exist from September.
At the same time, he stated that he can not say if there will be a lockdown. "There was a discussion but I feel that in the last few days there has been a drop in cases." He added that hospitals are under pressure, adding that it is important that there are discharges. "If the data stays good like this, but if we pass the 200 patients then things will be difficult." He explained that the wards of hospitals cannot be converted into Intensive Care Units, while the number of medical staff also plays an important role.
It was said that the schools should be delayed in opening and not closing, at all levels. He added that he is not sure if the lockdown should be implemented, as it was in March.
Speaking about vaccines, he said that the demand for the Pfizer vaccine is huge, with shortages. He explained that vaccines must be stored at very low temperatures because of the RNA component, which is a sensitive component.
He also talked about monoclonal antibodies that are produced by a clone and are located in a specific region of the protein. "They are time-consuming processes with limited production possibilities. We do not have the capacity to produce millions of doses. "
He went on to say that "we could be locked in our house from September, something that no one would accept." He pointed out that the measures and recommendations of the epidemiological team were based on the past experience of different viruses. "Maybe some of our approaches were wrong."
Finally he mentioned that during the feast of the Epiphany, it would be good to avoid overcrowding.
Source: Sigmalive