As the planet faces the beginning of its III DP year (After the Pandemic), local experts, and also global ones, expose their opinions about where we are and -above all- how do we continue proliferate the discussions in scientific journals and in academic meetings seeking to answer several questions: are we going back to the old normal? Shall we return to pre-2019 life? Impose new fixed social norms, with a mask for everyone and outdoor birthdays? Schedule a visit to the vaccination center every four months to receive a booster and have the health pass up to date? The answers, of course, is that there are still few clear answers, a lot of uncertainty and a lack of evidence. Although there are some ideas that are outlined to be installed permanently.
The first point that triggers the drop in cases of the third wave is Has the pandemic passed and we entered the endemic of SARS-CoV-2? Is it paired with other viral infections that we don’t take much care of? On this point, opinions are divided: in his last press conference, given on February 1, Tedros Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organization (WHO), stressed that “after two years of the pandemic we are once again facing a worrying increase in deaths but in some countries a narrative has emerged that says this has already happened. That is far from reality and it would be premature to declare victory because the coronavirus continues to evolve and is dangerous. ” And while many Western countries begin to lift the restrictions that still remain, an article published in Science realizes that many scientists and politicians “are stating that it is time to learn to “live with the disease” and that the coronavirus is considered endemic, that it will remain among us and that it will take a pathological form similar to the one we see with the flu”. The article quotes a leading epidemiologist, Jodie Guest, who recalls that “in the US, we’re still having about 2,000 deaths a day: I think it’s still premature assume the end of the pandemic and leave behind recommendations such as the use of a mask in closed spaces.” Of course, part of this discussion is sustained because not all countries on the planet suffer from the same stage of the virus.
Are we facing the end of the pandemic? he asked NEWS to the doctor Gonzalo Perez Marc, head of Research and Teaching in the Maternal-Child Department of the Argerich Hospital and one of the top vaccine researchers in Argentina. “I think that we are now at a turning point and we have to leave behind the concept of a pandemic that we developed in 2020, with isolation as the central option and the feeling that we were in permanent risk of life. Or being able to infect everyone who They surrounded us in uncertainty about what could happen to us. Pérez Marc suggests that the WHO’s message that we are still far from the end is explained -in part- because “they ponder the global situation. And it is true that many low-income countries face a very different situation from what we see in nations middle- and upper-income families where we’ve had broad access to vaccines and quality health care. But, according to this expert, at least in Western countries the original pandemic is over thanks to efforts to develop vaccines, the use of masks and ventilation.
Another group of professionals proposes a slower step by step. “I think it’s still a bit premature declare that the pandemic is over because what we see today looks nothing like an “endemic,” he told NEWS the Conicet researcher and bioinformatics specialist Rodrigo Quiroga. And he explained that “we are going to achieve a more controlled situation when new variants stop emerging and those that appear do not evade our immune response or are not more transmissible than the previous one. But, for the moment, until the arrival of Omicron we are not observing anything of that”. In summary, his vision is rather precautionary and he recalls that “in other waves the end of the pandemic has already been predicted and they were wrong. Optimistic forecasts can fail again.”
Something intermediate thinks the CABA minister Fernán Quirós who, in his last press conferences, proposes not to label this moment and rather think of it as a “transition“. “We will see significant increases and drops in infections but surely without having many serious cases. Of course, the picture could change if a new, more lethal variant emerges or if new versions of vaccines are developed that are more effective in preventing infections and reducing viral circulation.”
permanent changes
Beyond the end of the pandemic and the return to the new normal, there are some learnings of these two years that already show high probabilities of stay so permanent in our daily habits.
“There are measures that we know are effective in preventing the spread of viruses in general and not just SARS-CoV-2. For example – although during 2020 there was a lot of talk about hygiene and then it was shown that it was not the main way of contagion- the truth is that we know well that the correct handwashing It is a very effective form of prevention for many contagious respiratory pathologies,” explained Pérez Marc. “Maintaining this habit will be essential.”
On the other hand, this expert believes that the permanent use of chinstrap in the health field and in some areas of risk it is something that is here to stay. “Looking back, we don’t understand why we hadn’t taken that precaution in hospitals and health care facilities a long time ago, even before the pandemic. We should also consider making widespread use of it in some closed spaces such as public transport or in certain times of high viral circulation, even in schools. Finally, we would have to sustain over time the idea of not socializing or working in a group with other people when we have symptoms of an infection.”
For Quiroga, “now is the time to start plan long term As we will face similar situations in the future, design a clear “Plan” that -in the event of the appearance of a new variant with certain contagion or mortality metrics- establishes what type of measures we will take and when”.
According to his vision “it is true that at this time, in many nations, restrictions do not make sense as a first preventive measure. But we cannot help but consider that it is an eventual option that we can resort to if a very important wave appears that is It’s getting out of hand.”
This expert proposes that the Plan to deal with this type of pandemic has to give priority to some new ideas: “For example, ensuring the quality of the air we breathe. 20 years ago we fought cholera by guaranteeing access to drinking water. We have to think of something similar for air quality.”
This means generalizing new architectural designs and reforms that do more efficient ventilation of all closed spaces “And where that is not possible we have to install quality, certified extractor fans and filters that can retain viral particles. We can also continuously measure the concentration of CO2 as an indicator of how “stale” the air may be of a closed space.
These measures must also be widespread and cover common spaces whether they are public and private work, educational or commercial spaces.
Quiroga highlighted that the countries that adopted these initiatives from the beginning, such as Japan for example, exhibited much better comparative pandemic figures than the countries that prioritized other concepts. Even with those ventilation measures, they were able to opt for shorter restrictions.
In the West the main card was to bet on vaccination
In contrast, among Western nations, the general option was bet everything on one card: vaccination. “And now that we are well immunized in that sense, that other aspect of air quality seems to have been a bit neglected” And a final argument: the costs of these types of post-pandemic interventions and changes are relatively low when compared to everything that society “saves” in the prevention of cases and in sick people and deaths from respiratory pathologies”.
4th dose: yes or no?
“New developments are being worked on that, apart from stimulating cellular immunity that reduces the risk of serious illness, also generate more humoral immunity (antibodies) to prevent contagion,” he explained to NEWS Guillermo Docena, biochemist, immunologist and Principal Investigator of Conicet. According to this professor from the University of La Plata, “with future nasal vaccines (inhaled for example) we could increase active immunity in the upper mucous membranes to be able to attack the virus as soon as it “invades” the body. If we manage to activate the immune mechanisms In this first moment of infection, we will have more effective vaccines to prevent the spread of the pathogen.” For his part, Pérez Marc does not believe that we have to think about reinforcements every four months. “For now there is no evidence of its need. And the current vaccines have shown to be very effective in preventing serious illness and death. And that is why it is important that all people have their complete schedule (two doses) and those with immunological problems that get a booster. But for the medium term it seems quite possible that we could move towards a scheme where we all get an annual booster dose against the coronavirus, similar to what happens with the flu.”
You may also like
Image gallery
