The measures can not be relaxed overnight and this must be consolidated by everyone, said to KYPE the Professor of Microbiology / Molecular Virology of the Medical School of the University of Nicosia, Dr. Petros Karagiannis, who stressed that if people do not adhere to the measures, we may be faced with a third wave, bigger than what we are going through.
Mr. Karagiannis, who is a member of the Scientific Advisory Group of the Ministry of Health, estimates that if the epidemiological picture of Cyprus does not change in the next fortnight, then there is a serious possibility that we will face a bigger outbreak in mid-January, to note that in order for the measures to be relaxed, the cases should drop to around 100 to 150.
Case reduction by at least half
Asked what the epidemiological picture of Cyprus should be until December 14, in order to relax the measures, Mr. Karagiannis said that the cases should be reduced to half of what they are today, to note that " they must fall around 100 to 150 at least, in order to proceed with the relaxation of some measures ". For the Christmas period, he specifically said that everything will depend on the 15 days that follow.
"The measures cannot be relaxed overnight and everyone must consolidate this. "Otherwise, when we enter mid-January, around the third week, we will have a third wave or a further surge, higher than the one we are facing at the moment," he said.
Asked to comment on the reactions of the people to the new measures, which speak of "measures without logic", Professor Karagiannis said that it is soul-destroying for us and for the world, but they must understand that the measures come in for a purpose ».
The case load in the community is quite high
Assessing the epidemiological situation in Cyprus so far, he said that "at the moment it is not better", adding that "the number of cases on a daily basis exceeds 300, which means that the case burden in the community is quite high."
"That is why there was all the caution in the new measures that were taken. "There were no relaxations, as some might have expected, on the contrary, the measures have become stricter and now concern the entire territory of the island," he said.
Asked if he believes that the new measures will reduce cases, Mr. Karagiannis expressed the hope that they will work, however, he added that "in order to work, there must be a faithful implementation."
In relation to the previous measures, he said that during them there was overcrowding and confusion, while he noted that people did not observe the measures, such as antiseptic, distances, mask.
"If all this is not observed, even now it is next that we will succeed, while there will be all those who will say that the measures did not work," he said.
In another question, whether the peak of the 2nd wave has occurred or if we still have a long way to go, Dr. Karagiannis estimates that the number of cases has stabilized.
As he said "there is an indication that the numbers are going down, at least in the area of Limassol, where it has the highest case load", adding that "from there on it will depend on what will happen in the other Provinces".
In relation to the possibility of a third and larger wave, Mr. Karagiannis expressed the hope to avoid it. He explained that this would happen "if we do not walk soberly".
"With the number of tests we perform," he said, "we will try to check it. "The new antigen tests are reliable and will help us monitor what is happening in the community and in particular in closed structures, schools, camps, etc. In this way, we may be able to avoid a third outbreak, which everyone in Europe fears," he said.
Lockdown our latest tool
Asked if there were any thoughts of universal lockdown, he said it would be the last tool to be used, adding that "a universal lockdown will be painful for everyone and will only be implemented when absolutely necessary".
Regarding the suspension of the Gymnasiums, which was discussed yesterday, he said that "since the measures had to be leveled, as they were in Limassol, what was in force in Limassol prevailed".
Regarding the schools, Mr. Karagiannis said that "the opposite view is that if the Lyceums were closed, the children could not be restricted during the day".
"Perhaps visits to the homes of their classmates and friends, walks and more would put them at greater risk of contracting the virus. "At least, going to school is largely supervised by teachers and later extracurricular activities are limited to avoid the possibility of getting sick," he concluded.
Source: KYPE