Stella Kyriakidou, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, sent a message that from the first day of the pandemic it was clear that only through cooperation could the safest course for healthy and equal societies for all citizens be ensured, with the aim of overcoming the crisis. of the European Union.
During her introductory speech at the panel “Tackling the Pandemic in Europe and the Vision for the Future” in the context of the Daily – Athens Health Summit 2021, Ms. Kyriakidou pointed out that “we are all still experiencing the pandemic”.
“We have learned from age-old health crises how societies can be more resilient. “The goal is to increase preparedness and response to such crises,” he added.
According to her, a year ago tangible initiatives were presented for a strong European health union, for a stronger framework of European and collective health security, strengthening and strengthening the terms of reference of the ECDC and Coreper.
At the same time, he referred to the creation of the European Authority for Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Health Sector (HERA), noting that through this mechanism we will be able to anticipate threats and coordinate our actions for timely response.
Finally, Ms. Kyriakidou stated that the goal of the EU was the equal and simultaneous dispatch of vaccines to all countries of the European Union, emphasizing that we have now reached 75% of fully vaccinated citizens in the Union and we continue.
For his part, the Professor of Health Policy, London School of Economics, Elias Mosialos, referred to the “performance” of Greece compared to other countries, emphasizing that a combination of data such as the number of deaths per 1 million should be taken into account. deaths, comorbidity, health systems and other epidemiological data.
He characteristically stated that in Greece, those over 65 make up 22% of the population, while in Israel they make up 11%. “If one made a simple comparison, one would say that we did not do so badly. We have lower vaccination rates from France, Ireland and other countries and higher compared to Bulgaria, Romania, etc. So we have good levels compared to several European countries. Of course, we have not convinced a significant percentage of vulnerable groups and the elderly. “
Asked about the drugs, Mr. Mosialos pointed out that they do not immediately change the scene, noting that there are two problems: the cost and the issue of production in large quantities. “If production is not accelerated, it will not immediately be a complementary weapon to stop the pandemic.”
Regarding the mutations, he always characterized the appearance of new variants as worrying and expressed the opinion that they will definitely exist. As he said “logically the virus will become more contagious and less dangerous. “Maybe this will be done with stronger vaccines and medication.”
Finally, regarding the possible imposition of a lockdown, the professor of Health Policy, stressed “I do not think we will go to a total lockdown, however if the measures do not work, the imposition of local restrictions is not ruled out. Lockdown is not a solution, it will transmit the problem of resolution 1-2 months back. Vaccinations and the administration of the 3rd dose should proceed immediately “.
“The return to normalcy is not what we knew before 2020, the virus will continue to exist and we will have to do regular booster doses, most likely the annual doses,” he concluded.
Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology, Director of the Institute for Health Equality at University College London, spoke about how governments could persuade citizens to get vaccinated, stressing that Europe has not run out of space.
As he said, there are four groups that exist:
- The first one says “I will do it, I have not done it yet”. We need to make the process “for them” easier.
- “The second one says ‘it is very difficult to do it, to miss work, etc.’, and here the process must be simplified.”
- “Those who say ‘Vaccines are not for people like me.’ “There is a lack of trust in the government here and it is a longer-term effort to rebuild that trust.”
- “And finally there are the madmen, those who believe that Bill Gates will put a chip on them. I do not know how to manage them. “
Daily
.
