“Unfortunately, societies have been slow to react, most governments have been slow to react, and the world has slowly lost its trust in science,” noted the professor
The risk of new pandemics is increasing, according to scientific data. There is an urgent need for robust, integrated, sustainable and resilient surveillance systems. The global community made mistakes in dealing with covid-19, which today we are better able to deal with. The professor mentioned the above Sotiris Tsiodras during his speech on “Pandemic & Scientific Challenges”, at the 18th Annual Panhellenic Conference of the Hellenic Network of Healthy Cities of the World Health Organization (EDHYPPY).
The conference takes place October 6-8 with the co-organization of the Attica Region. His work was opened by the Regional Governor of Attica and president of the EDDYPPY, Giorgos Patoulis, who, calling Mr. Tsiodras to the podium, said: “Greece has nothing to envy scientists from outside Greece, we have the best and one of them is Sotiris Tsiodras”.
Humanity’s mistakes in dealing with covid
Mr. Tsiodras said that humanity made huge mistakes in dealing with covid-19. “Unfortunately, societies have been slow to react, most governments have been slow to react, and the world has slowly lost faith in science. This is a big risk. There has also been a huge global failure. I wish we knew“, said the professor.
Regarding covid-19, he said that there is a slight increase, but today we are at a different level to deal with it. He presented scientific data on the new surveillance systems, the benefits of vaccination and the new treatments. “It is visible how we will learn to live with the pandemic, protecting the vulnerable, widely using the treatments and giving the booster dose to the population, investing in new forms of surveillance, continuing the old ones and of course reviewing, seeing what we did wrong .Investing to improve the deficits, admit them and move forward”.
covid-19 is not the flu
Responding to those who had argued that covid-19 is just a flu, Mr. Tsiodras said that, according to scientific data, it has 30 to 56 times more excess mortality than the H1N1 flu of 2009. He noted that age remains the key factor for death from covid-10. It’s more than 1,000 times the risk of death in a person over 80 than an 18-year-old, he added.
The covid-19 pandemic is heading towards a slight increase, but the more we use the measures the fewer deaths we will have, he said. “We’re investing in a strategy to screen people at increased risk, we’re investing in avoiding hospitalizations and ICUs.
At the same time, we are investing in new tools for genetic analysis of the virus. 99% currently in Greece is B4, B5 virus. Will evolve; There are at least 4 different mutations right now in different parts of the world gaining momentum. Are they going to do a new wave, is it going to be the same, is it going to be better, do we have the weapons?” Tsiodra’s answer was yes, but we have to keep watching.
Vaccinations and booster dose
“Where is the epidemic of vaccine deaths, after 12.7 billion doses of vaccines?” the professor asked, responding to those who argue that vaccines lead to more deaths. “Their logic is wrong and it is proven every day,” he stressed. “Twenty million deaths prevented by the end of 2021 by vaccines,” he said. Regarding the 4th dose, he said that according to data it has a great benefit especially for those over 60 years old. Data from many scientific studies show that natural immunity and vaccination protect us.
In Greece, 24% re-infections are recorded in the last week. Infections in Europe in April reached 80% and in Greece over 90% of the population in the prefectures of Thessaly have experienced the infection once.
The protection gradually decreases after 4 months the probability of protection from the initial infection is around 30% to 40%. If someone passed “Omicron” in the summer, the protection is 75% which gradually decreases, the professor said. He added that the antibodies are higher if someone has had an infection and is triple vaccinated. In all 4 months the protection decreases.
According to an analysis by American researchers, Mr. Tsiodras said, the 4th dose of vaccine will save approximately 90,000 lives and there will also be a financial benefit from hospitalizations.
Unfortunately only 15% of people over 60 in Europe and Greece have been vaccinated with the 4th dose. “We are far behind and have adopted an anti-vaccination attitude that will harm us and harm Europe and the entire Western world,” noted Mr. Tsiodas. Vaccines protect us from serious illness and death, not so much from infection and we want more vaccines. “The science is evolving and we’re hoping for a vaccine that will last us a year.”
Doctor refused to give the new treatment
Over 40,000 regimens of the new treatments have been given in Greece to covid-19 patients. “However, yesterday a big name in medicine in a large metropolitan area gave the wrong contribution, saying that he does not use the treatment. The patient was 83 years old,” said Mr. Tsiodras. But the data exists for the benefits of the drug and “of course I said that the drug should be prescribed and of course the patient should receive it as soon as possible”, he underlined.
The role of Local Government
The Local Government emphasized that Mr. Tsiodras must invest in the education of the population, in increasing the knowledge of the population, in social solidarity, in social responsibility, in volunteering. You have to help the citizen to cross this bridge of questioning with honesty, sincerity.
G. Patoulis: “Local Government, the foundation of public health”
During his greeting, the regional governor of Attica and president of ISA and EDDYPPY, Giorgos Patoulis pointed out that the pandemic taught important lessons. The decisive role of Primary Health Care and the need for societies to invest in Health systems were understood. The Regions and Municipalities are at the forefront of the battle to protect citizens’ health, said Mr. Patoulis, underlining that through the EDDYPPY a strong protection network has been created with Municipalities and Regions throughout the country, with certified procedures by the World Health Organization, with the main objective of preventing diseases that torment modern man through preventive control, but also coordination with the central government and health professionals, in order to offer high quality services, focusing on man and his needs.
Referring to the 18th Conference, he said that the goal is to highlight the problems faced by Local Government in the field of Public Health, as well as to open a channel of productive dialogue to address them. In addition, he added, “we are here to talk about the major problem of climate change that affects us all. An issue that is already starting to become apparent year after year and is directly related to our lives.”
The 18th Annual Panhellenic Conference of the EDDYPPY has become an institution
More than 130 speakers – doctors, researchers, specialist scientists, representatives of local government and the central political scene, until October 8, when the conference will last – will highlight the key role played by Local Government in solving public health problems and upgrading the services provided to citizens. The new parameters and problems of the health system after two years of the pandemic crisis and the effects of the climate crisis on the health of the general population will be analyzed. At the same time, the ways in which the two levels of self-government can contribute to the upgrading of both Primary Health Care and the National Health System will be highlighted, through continuous and fruitful cooperation with the state, scientific bodies and health providers. The participation of expatriate doctors will also be important, who will transfer their experience and the good practices applied at the international level.
Also for the first time, as part of the conference at the official opening (today), 9 personalities from the field of medicine, self-government and business will be awarded for their contribution to society.
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