Fear plays a role in a pandemic. It seems far more justified to fear Ebola, a virus that is lethal to more than half of those infected, than the new coronavirus. A case of Ebola in a Brazilian would be news for days. But even in the worst Ebola outbreak, which took place between 2013 and 2016, fewer than 12,000 victims died. The equivalent of Covid deaths in the first half of February here in Brazil.
In the Covid pandemic, fear and the lack of it made us alternate between measures taken in moments of fear, good results from some of them, and relaxation out of time thanks to these results. In early 2020, for example, western European countries experienced calamitous days, while the east was apparently spared. Today, the countries most affected at the beginning, such as Italy and Spain, are among those that have been vaccinated the most. Eastern countries, such as Bulgaria and Czechia, have the worst vaccination and death numbers in Europe.
The fear of contagion by contact made us focus on hand sanitizer, while ignoring the masks that stopped the virus in regions like Singapore and Hong Kong in early 2020. And partly because of this initial success, many in Hong Kong did not see the need to be vaccinated against Covid. Now, unfortunately, they suffer for it. The city that has followed a successful Covid zero policy for about two years now shows what happens when the omicron encounters a poorly immunized population: in February, they recorded one of the highest Covid-19 fatality rates in the world. And deaths are concentrated among unvaccinated elderly people, particularly those living in nursing homes and nursing homes.
In Brazil, we closed in 2020 and we controlled the situation relatively well. With the tide improving towards the end of the year, we relaxed and took the wave of the gamma variant on our head. In 2021, during this rise in deaths, we saw great adherence to the vaccine. As the situation improved because of this vaccination, the adoption of the second dose was not as great as the first. And now, with the success of the two doses, the demand for the booster dose only really grew in January, with the concern about the omicron variant. And yet it remains low.
We alternate again between fear and untimely relaxation. With less busy ICUs, it looks like the Covid problem is over. Masks are no longer mandatory outdoors in many regions. And even indoors in Rio de Janeiro. The Covid problem has certainly diminished, but it hasn’t gone away. Especially for some age groups most ignored by our fear.
Among children, the unfounded fear of vaccines remains, while vaccines for children under 5 years old and pediatric beds are lacking in regions such as the Federal District and Salvador. Among the elderly, there is a lack of booster doses and there are many deaths. According to Covid deaths confirmed in SIVEP-Gripe, the number of daily deaths among those over 80 at the end of January was comparable to the worst in 2020.
Our vaccine protection is huge, so much so that we didn’t repeat the 2021 numbers during the omni wave. The opposite of what happens in Hong Kong. But our adoption of the two doses and especially the booster dose still leaves something to be desired. And for those who are at high risk with Covid, such as the elderly, even with vaccines, it remains high – and the SUS still does not have the antiviral treatments that could give extra protection to risk groups. Especially for these people, it’s not yet time to abandon masks and stop fearing Covid.
Chad-98Weaver, a distinguished author at NewsBulletin247, excels in the craft of article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a penchant for storytelling, Chad delivers informative and engaging content that resonates with readers across various subjects. His contributions are a testament to his dedication and expertise in the field of journalism.
