Filenews 12 September 2021 - by Marilena Panagi
"The facts change and decisions and policies must be flexible and adapt to developments, avoid frictions, personal ambitions and dogmatisms", stresses the head of the Advisory Scientific Committee, Assistant Professor of Pathology Konstantinos Tsioutis, sending messages to many recipients. He underlines that , "in recent months we have noticed that a dialogue has begun to take place with the society" and notes that "from now on, we must decide as a society for the future, and as a society, we must be ready to make concessions if necessary, after we have set all together and each one within himself, our priorities".
"To admit what we do not know or what we learn along the way, to prepare all together for the continuation of the pandemic", he says in his statements to "F", noting, at the same time, that in relation to the management of the pandemic, "my personal opinions have always been known. I do not hesitate and I will not hesitate, to quote them publicly whenever this becomes necessary".
His message to society is clear: "Because it is difficult to predict continuity in terms of the course of the pandemic, we must all bear in mind that we may find ourselves again faced with dilemmas and be forced to make decisions that none of us wants. For this, there must be collegiality. That is why I stress and call on my fellow citizens to join us and understand that we must all act wisely, each from his own position. As of today, all of us must prioritise the spaces, the groups, the activities that matter to us as a society. The schools? The psychosocial development of our children? Universities? The fun of adults? The focus? The sport? The stadiums? Tourism? Retail? Face-to-face work? Face-to-face meetings and conferences?"
Analyzing the phase which the pandemic is currently in, Mr. Tsioutis explains that "this recent outbreak has shown us that, if there is a will and proper planning, based on data and not on the basis of other criteria, we can shape the course of the pandemic. It is enough to set the right priorities and understand that, even if the state in some cases in the past ignored it, and part of society questions it, science can help and rationally guide decisions for safe and functional everyday life, allowing society and the economy to function.
The data today, he says, is specific:
- Education restarts.
- Educational institutions, and especially our children, have already been affected for two consecutive educational years, especially at certain levels of education, and as a result of all the restrictions imposed, the health and development of our children has been significantly affected. At the same time, higher education and research have been affected, albeit to a lesser extent.
- It's September and we're all back to work. The images on the streets last week, combined with the recent decrees, leave us to understand that remote working has probably been abolished almost in its entirety.
- It may not be at this time, but in a couple of weeks, temperatures will drop and social gatherings will drop, especially in some areas, and at certain times of the day, they will begin to turn indoors, thereby increasing close contacts and overcrowding.
- Sporting events are being restarted, which will inevitably increase the close contacts of both fans and the athletes themselves.
Along with these, "the Delta strain, is, unfortunately for us, a very "successful" strain that is transmitted much faster than other strains with an estimated production number between 6 and 8. It is the dominant strain in our country and in most of the world."
And what is the result? "The number of our fellow human beings in hospitals remains high (more than 120-130), every day we lose our fellow citizens due to COVID19, which confirms that there is a large number of transmissions daily, as well as a large number of people who, if they get infected, will need a hospital."
In addition, he points out, vaccination coverage "is progressing very slowly, which is logical, since it was expected that the last 20-30% of the population would have serious hesitations, hesitate, or refuse to be vaccinated and based on this we must seek other solutions to protect ourselves. What are these solutions? Among other things, individual protection measures."
"It would be easy to get back into the painful process of measures and restrictions if necessary. But my own positions are also known. There are other very important parameters: the world is tired of the contradictory and absolute statements of scientists, politicians and public officials, the unfounded and empty predictions (e.g. about herd immunity, the end of a pandemic, the vaccination coverage rate), the pompous and terrifying headlines aimed at attracting readers and not at transmitting meaningful news, the successive restrictions (be it lockdowns, enclosed spaces, restrictions on the number of people, safepasses, etc.)".
For this reason, "I believe and stress that all without exception, as members of this society, are called to behave maturely, to look at our data as it really is, to cooperate and to avoid divisions".
"In decision-making, everyone needs to contribute. This is the philosophy that we should all follow for the continuation if necessary. When I say all of us we, the scientists, the Government and the citizens. Over the last few months, we have been pleased to see that representatives of all those involved have been involved in these processes through discussion. This public debate should be oriented towards specific objectives (health, operation) and with a timetable (immediate objectives, medium-term objectives in the coming months).
In order to know and understand our data, we need regular and timely recording, analysis and presentation of data, which are updated based on our needs and are publicly available so that there is no room for doubt. Data should include epidemiological indicators, health and hospitalization indicators, disease severity, vaccination coverage and by group (e.g. hospitalized, deaths, ICU), pharmacovigilance data (number, percentage and what serious side effects), and others that we may need along the way (as we said, the pandemic changes phases and surveillance should change accordingly)."
Today, therefore, "we are called to recognize the characteristics of this period, to understand them and to draw up a management plan that allows all sectors of the economy and society to operate in a safe way. We are called upon to decide as a society, wisely and collectively, and to prioritize the activities, spaces and groups of our population that we must support.''
