Pandemic and vaccines. Covid-19 is the great turning point represented by the vaccination campaign launched less than a year after the outbreak of the pandemic phenomenon that has shocked the world. These are the topics of great interest dealt with during the second appointment of the Literary café of italiani.it which created a focus on 'pandemic and vaccines'. The meeting on the web, conceived and conducted by Paola Stranges, editor of the italiani.it network, saw the participation of Professor Saverio Stranges, scientist and epidemiologist at the Western University of London in Canada.
Pandemic and vaccines
Saverio Stranges, in his very popular meeting with Paola Stranges, explained above all that he is a public health doctor and not a virologist. "From the very first moment, that is, since the pandemic manifested itself, I have tried to understand how to contain the effects of Covid on public health". These are the considerations of the scientist who was born in Italy but has been working in Canada for years. “In my university - Stranges stressed - we organized a symposium on the potential pandemic impact of the Coronavirus. The possibility that there could be transmission of a virus from animals to humans or vice versa was certainly not a discovery.
In a globalized and interconnected society like ours, it was not difficult to predict that this virus would have a global impact on the world's population. Just as he then had ”. The scientist reiterated that, among Western populations afflicted by chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, etc.) virus it becomes an element of vulnerability. Today we know the symptoms and immediate effects that the infection from Covid-19 has on the human body but the long-term effects of the virus are quite unknown. Studies are still at the beginning.
Covid vaccine, everything you need to know
On the various anti-Covid vaccines, Professor Stranges answered the many questions posed by the followers of italiani.it, residing in different countries of the world. “In public health - said the scientist - the most effective remedy against new viral diseases is precisely the mass vaccination which has the ultimate aim of determining herd immunity. The goal is to vaccinate as many people as possible, in order to extinguish the viral infection.
The necessary vaccination - the expert specified - is between 70 and 80 percent of the world population. When it comes to mass vaccines, the global picture must be assessed and - the scientist pointed out - the timeline for getting out of the emergency is not easy. Today it is too early to say that next summer we will be out of the pandemic. For this to happen, the numbers regarding hospitalizations and deaths will count. It is hoped that these numbers will drop with vaccinations ”.
Pandemic and vaccines, who should be vaccinated?
“I recommend the vaccine to everyone - said the epidemiologist - The vaccine is made with an experimental process, tested first on animals and then on humans. However, it is necessary to monitor the potential side effects but, currently, there are no contraindications for allergy sufferers ". To those who spoke of 'haste' in putting millions of doses of vaccines on the market, Stranges replied: “The haste with which the vaccines were made is understandable in light of an evaluation of the costs and benefits. We must look at the benefit that the community derives from the vaccination campaign which aims to limit the pandemic phenomenon and therefore also to revive the economy. The vaccine - the expert ruled - is an act of altruism. The best vaccine does not exist, but the one most suitable for the geographical context of reference ".
This will not be the only pandemic
On the use of masks and on the alleged health dictatorship, Stranges ruled: “We will get rid of the masks based on how the vaccinations go. We will see if the vaccine will reduce the transmission of the virus and, in any case, the vaccinated will have to continue to comply with the anti-Covid provisions in force. Furthermore, we must realize that in a society like the one we live in this may not be the only pandemic. It must also be said that vaccinations must be carried out in suitable facilities by qualified health professionals ".
What does the Coronavirus pandemic teach?
What does the pandemic teach you scientists? To this question, Saverio Stranges replied: “He taught me the importance of investing in health and, in particular, in public health. Over the years, we have focused our investments on technology and hospital equipment and all of that is fine. But it is not good to dismantle the local medicine which must instead be strengthened to avoid the assault on hospitals.
Furthermore, the pandemic also taught me the humility to say 'I don't know' and to wait for the scientific truth tested in the laboratory. This particular historical phase teaches us all about resilience. Our grandparents waged war on the front, we don't have bombs on our houses but we are required to observe very specific rules. Let's review our priorities, our way of life. We make sure that we do not endanger our lives and that of others ”.
