Reduction of persons in the gatherings for the rest of the holidays reserves the possibility of worsening of the epidemiological situation, according to information from "F". The possibility of an extraordinary meeting in the coming days, with the members of the Scientific Advisory Committee, was expressed by the Minister of Health, Michalis Hadjipandelas, if such a thing is deemed necessary. However, the attention of the people is drawn by the experts. Dr. Michalis Voniatis talks about a scenario of even 2.000 cases per day. Dr. Leontios Kostrikis predicts that by the end of the year 90% of the new cases will be from the new mutation. Dr. Costas Konstantinou warns that Cyprus is entering the most critical phase of the pandemic, as the "Omicron" mutation will soon prevail.
Specifically, the information of "F" states that a possible next measure that could be taken during the festive season, is to reduce the number of people in the gatherings. This is a suggestion, which was discussed in the last consultation between the Ministry of Health and epidemiologists, but did not proceed. According to the same source, measures were taken last year during the holidays to curb and reduce the pandemic, so such a scenario can not be ruled out. However, it has been noted that the increase in cases, the spread of the virus, the pressure in hospitals and the general outbreak that has been recorded recently, concerns the "Delta" mutation, so additional deterioration is expected when the "Omicron" mutation spreads.
For his part, the Minister of Health in his statements on the sidelines of the inauguration of the post-Covid Patient Wing at the Eden Rehabilitation Center in Tersefanou, left open the possibility of taking additional measures. "For any additional decisions, we will see the number of cases and the number of hospitalizations. Fortunately, in the last two days we have had a reduction in hospitalizations. We will study the data in the coming days and if we need to take additional measures, we will take them after consulting the scientists. "
Asked to comment on the position of the professor of Molecular Virology of the University of Cyprus, Dr. Leontiou Kostrikis, that by the end of the year 90% of coronavirus cases will be infected with the "Omicron" variant, Mr. Hadjipandelas said that this is something that happens in all over the world, not only in Cyprus. He appealed to the citizens during the holidays to wear the protective mask and to conduct a rapid test and self test before each family reunion.
Regarding the complaints and criticisms of citizens who did not get the Pfizer vaccine at the walk-in vaccination centers and the exclusive vaccination of Moderna, the minister said: "Moderna is the best vaccine in the world. I call it that because scientists have reported that the combination of Pfizer and Moderna gives the best results. "Moderna is currently the best and most expensive vaccine," he said, adding that citizens should not protest.
The assessments of the professor of Molecular Virology of the University of Cyprus, Dr. Leontiou Kostrikis, are ominous, who stated that in addition to the increase in cases due to the contagiousness of the virus, he expects a significant increase in hospital admissions. "Until December 13, the prevalence of" Omicron "was 11%, a percentage which doubles or even triples every three to four days. "With these data we can estimate that today the prevalence of" Omicron "in Cyprus has reached 40%". Dr. Kostrikis estimated that based on the numbers we have to date and the prevalence of "Omicron", it is very likely that by the end of the year this mutation will be completely prevalent. "That is, more than 90% of new cases have the mutation."
President Anastasiadis avoids stricter measures
The President of the Republic expressed the hope that no stricter measures would need to be taken, when asked about such a possibility. "My request," he said, "is for the largest possible number to decide that our only protection is vaccination, the only protection against the pandemic, a phenomenon that is taking on new dimensions worldwide, is science. Those who deny science do not simply deny the opportunity given to them and the opportunity they have not to get sick, not to transmit, not to lose their own people, but the individual must now be transformed into a broader responsibility, a social responsibility for the benefit of the whole. " .
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MICHALIS VONIATIS
We may see 2.000 cases a day
The daily cases will be launched up to 2.000 if the "Omicron" mutation has spread in the community, estimates the epidemiologist Dr. Michalis Voniatis. "We have a continuous and significant upward trend in the last ten days. "More than 800 cases per day have been established for the past two days, it is approaching 900 cases and this situation seems to be related to the" Omicron "operation." I believe, he continued, that they will exceed 1.000 cases per day if "Omicron" has invaded the community and maybe in the coming weeks we will see 1.500 to 2.000 cases per day.
As he mentioned, 33 cases have already been reported, which means that the new mutation has passed into the community. "So what we are going to see is an increase in cases. The question is how many of them will need treatment. Unfortunately, we can see an increase in the number of patients among those who have been vaccinated. "So it is wise on Christmas day to do a rapid test or a self test before sitting at the Christmas table, whether we are vaccinated or not," he noted.
People, he continued, must be careful to respect personal protection measures with reverence because we still do not know what the protection will be even with the third dose of the vaccine, since the epidemiological investigations have not been released yet. "What we insist on is to observe the measures of personal protection, because we do not yet know what the severity of the disease is, that is, what percentage of the sick people will be severe. Because most of us are slightly ill, as far as we know today. "Beyond that, we must abide by the measures because we do not know what will happen yet," he added.
For his part, the member of the Advisory Scientific Committee, Costas Konstantinou, warned that Cyprus is entering the most critical phase of the pandemic, as the "Omicron" variant will soon prevail in the country. Speaking to RIK, Mr. Konstantinou described the situation as very difficult and expressed concern about the resilience of the health system, in the shadow of the increase in the number of patients.
He pointed out that in other countries there is a vertical increase in cases, as the "Omicron" variant causes re-infections and seems to escape the protection of the vaccine with at least two doses. He also said that it is crucial to show how serious the disease is caused by "Omicron". Cyprus, Mr. Konstantinou pointed out, can not wait and should be prepared to face the worst case scenario and that the effort to detect "Omicron" should be strengthened.
WHERE: The booster dose is not enough
There should be no illusion that booster doses are enough to get out of the pandemic Covid-19, noted the head of the World Health Organization (WHO). "The vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths are people who have not been vaccinated, not those who have not received a booster dose," he said. "No country will be able to get out of the pandemic with booster doses, and booster doses are not a green light to celebrate as we envisioned," said World Health Organization Director-General Andrew Gembreses. "Indiscriminate booster programs have every chance of prolonging the pandemic, rather than ending it, by channeling the available doses to countries that already have high vaccination rates, giving the virus a greater chance of spreading and mutating," said Dr. Tentros. .
"It is important to remember that the vast majority of illnesses and deaths are people who have not been vaccinated, not those who have not received a booster dose," he said, adding that "we need to be very clear" remain effective against "Delta" as well as "Omicron" variants ".
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