Filenews 19 June 2021
In Cyprus we have achieved a very high rate of vaccination coverage for Covid-19 disease in the older ages and quite high, at the ages of 40 to 60 years, for the 1st dose of vaccine while the majority of cases now detected concern young people said the Head of the Scientific Advisory Committee, Konstantinos Tsioutis, while noting that it is assumed that the Indian mutation of the virus circulates in society with the most deaths with the final indication of the disease concerning persons who have not been vaccinated.
For vaccinations, he reiterated that they reduce the likelihood of someone being sick, reduce the likelihood of transmission of the virus and even if a person is vaccinated, sick, the chances of severe symptoms and hospitalization are reduced as well as the likelihood of death with a final indication of Covid-19 disease.
Mr. Tsioutis, who is Assistant Professor of Pathology at the European University and a Pathologist specializing in Infection Control, said that "in Cyprus we have achieved a very high percentage (>85%) of the total. vaccination coverage in older ages (>70) and quite high (>65% but with room for improvement) at ages 40-60" specifying that "these are single dose coverage rates" so we have a few weeks until the vaccination of beneficiaries is complete and they are considered fully vaccinated.
He referred to the great importance of completing the vaccination regimen, "not only to increase the rate of efficacy and protection, but because the second dose in vaccines is indicated, it enhances immune memory", explaining that "the older a person is, if infected with Sars -Cov2, the greater the likelihood of severe disease and hospitalization".
"That's why the primary goal of our vaccination program was from the beginning to protect these people first and that's why, in recent months, we've seen two particular elements: the percentage of nurses from these ages is gradually decreasing (because most are protected with vaccines) and most people of those ages who need to go to hospital or die due to COVID19 are unvaccinated," noted Mr. Tsioutis.
Effectively against delta strain vaccines, there is proficiency, open the Portal for all ages
He added, "The more vaccinated, the more evident the effect of the above at the society level while vaccines remain effective against the Delta strain."
Asked about the importance of vaccinating young people at the moment due to the easy transmission of the Indian mutation of the virus, Mr. Tsioutis said that we observe that "the majority of people we now identify with COVID - 19, are young 18-40 and this is because they are the most active social ages and have the highest number of contacts due to social, family and professional activity'.
Also, if they become sick with coronavirus, "they are more likely to be asymptomatic, which creates a sense of security, but increases the risk of transmission and at the same time, the more they become sick, the more will end up in the hospital anyway".
Mr. Tsioutis said that "the vaccination coverage rate at younger ages (18-40) is much lower, which makes the unvaccinated, clearly more prone to disease and transmit the virus."
He added that "certainly the opportunities to make appointments through the vaccination portal were less for these ages and undoubtedly their confidence was affected by recent events with the safety of specific vaccines, but our data today is very different, as there is adequacy of vaccines of different technologies and companies, and the vaccination portal is now open to all ages."
"We must prepare properly for the possibility of a new outbreak"
"So certainly with what we know and on the basis of our current image, we must prepare properly for the possibility of a new outbreak due to the Delta strain and this preparation must be based on surveillance and tracing on individual protection measures and vaccinations and on how we can strengthen these measures," said Konstantinos Tsioutis.
He noted that "the pandemic is not over and there is no vaccination coverage rate or date that will determine the end of the pandemic so we must continue to implement the individual protection measures that protect us as long as there is transmission of the virus while vaccination is working."
It is for this, he said, that Mr. Tsioutis "must find ways to strengthen our vaccination program and increase coverage at all ages while surveillance must continue seamlessly and adapt to the data and developments of the pandemic".
For the Indian mutation or Delta strain as it is now called, Mr. Tsioutis explained that "it has some peculiarities and at first it is proven to be transmitted much more easily than other strains, including the British (Alpha), which is known to be transmitted more easily than others".
He added that "this means that a person can infect on average a lot more people, which can lead to a very large number of hospitalisations in a short period of time."
As Mr. Tsioutis said, "if we contrast this with the image we observed in March in Cyprus, but also in most regions of the world, where the prevalence of alpha strain has led to a new serious outbreak with serious effects on our hospitals, it is immediately perceived, that a strain even more contagious like the delta, can quickly it can worsen the picture".
He pointed out that "something similar has already been observed in the United Kingdom, India and dozens of other countries", noting that "the positive thing, as shown by studies both in laboratory conditions and from observations in the vaccinated population, is that the vaccines we use are effective against this strain, especially after both doses have been administered".
Observations from India also showed that vaccination prevents the transmission of this strain to a large extent, Mr. Tsioutis said.
Given that the Delta strain is circulating in society
Asked what it would mean to spread this mutation widely in Cyprus, he replied that "since it has already been found in many strains, we must take for granted that this strain is circulating in society".
As the Cypriot scientist said, "similarly, Alpha (British) strains were detected in December in Cyprus and, despite the restrictive measures, the strict controls at airports and the mandatory quarantine of those who arrived from the United Kingdom, within 2 months prevailed and caused perhaps the most significant outbreak we have experienced in our country since the beginning of the pandemic, with one outbreak launch, while the number of patients hospitalized within 2 weeks exceeded 200".
He added that although "today, we are in a phase of relaxation, with most places operating, with free movement and the possibility of having many contacts with many people", however, "despite the good climatic conditions that undoubtedly limit the transmission of the virus, there is still a significant risk of transmission and dispersion if a contagious person finds himself in the same place as other people. , in particular if distances and other personal protective measures are not observed'.
Surveillance, tracing and vaccination of known effective measures
Asked about the weapons available to intercept the transmission of the virus, Mr. Tsioutis said that "the means at our disposal are what we know to be effective and there are three : surveillance, tracing and vaccination.
He noted the targeted controls at airports, molecular analysis of strains, proper implementation of protocols and early intervention in identified flare-ups as well as individual protection measures for which he said that "what we have been stressing for a year and a half is that simple basic measures that each of us can implement are non-negotiable principles in effectively limiting the transmission of the virus from person to person and we should not forget them or relax them."
Finally, Mr. Tsioutis said that personal protection measures include "keeping distances, avoiding overcrowding especially indoors, encouraging gatherings to take place outdoors and avoiding indoors, good ventilation, masks especially indoors and in crowded conditions, and limiting people who are positive for the virus and their contacts".
Cna
