After three years of public health measures to protect against the spread of the SARS-COV-2 virus and Covid-19, the public health crisis appears to be drawing to a close and the virus no longer has the same impact on public health systems, epidemiology professor Gkikas Magiorkinis said in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) on Sunday.
Commenting on the decision to suspend almost all protective measures against Covid, Magiorkinis stressed that the virus had not disappeared but the figures were showing steady improvement as levels of immunity in the population were now extremely high, though he warned that vulnerable groups still need to exercise caution.
“If the situation continues as we are seeing it unfold then logically, it will have fully subsided in the next months as levels of immunity in the population are very high, with hybrid immunity (vaccination and illness) exceeding 90 pct. The virus has not become weaker but we have greater immunity against the various forms of the virus,” Magiorkinis said.
While the emergence of a new strain cannot be ruled out, he added, the evidence of the last few months indicated that it would not cause the same problems as in previous phases, where a new variant of concern emerged every two or three months, he added.
Regarding the decision to lift all Covid restrictions except in healthcare facilities and care homes for the elderly, he said this was taken at the same time as the lifting of measures in other parts of the world, given that there was no longer pressure on health systems due to Covid-19.
Among the measures that have been lifted is the mandatory wearing of face masks on public transport and the requirement that unvaccinated staff in the public and private sector have a weekly rapid test. Those that catch Covid will still have to isolate, Magiorkinis explained, but this will be done through ordinary sick leave prescribed by a doctor.
The protection measures will continue to apply in healthcare facilities and care homes for the elderly, including measures for patients and visitors.
Vulnerable groups will need to continue to protect against Covid, he warned, through personal hygiend and by keeping their vaccinations up to date and taking anti-viral medication if they contract Covid. For immunosuppressed patients, he emphasised that they must take additional care and advised that they contact their doctors in order to gain access to the best treatment and medication options if they fall ill. What is recommended for this population group, he added, was that they and those in their immediate environment take the necessary precautions.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
