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José Ramón Paño, a doctor in the Clinic's Infectious Diseases service, gives some reasons not to let our guard down in the face of this sixth wave of infections, which has focused on young people.
Aragon faces a "different" sixth wave of infections, with young people the target of a virus that, although it causes generally less serious symptoms in this population group, still worries specialists, who call for caution and continue applying individual protection measures that we already know.
"All the focus is being placed on young people, but it is necessary to remember that they have not had the opportunity to be vaccinated."
We haven't noticed a big increase in revenue in recent days, but not enough days have passed since the start of this rally of cases to be sure that there will not be an increase in admissions to the hospital ward or ICU. Nevertheless, We hope that thanks to the vaccination of the most vulnerable, the proportion of infected patients who have to be admitted to the hospital will be lower.
- In recent weeks, are you more concerned about collapse of primary care –a system that was already stressed- than the hospital?
Yes. Primary Care is very likely to bear most of the pressure from Covid-19 over the coming weeks and It is essential to remember that it is the citizen's access route to the health system.
- Why should we worry and not relax measures?
That covid-19 is less lethal in the population that remains to be vaccinated and that the risk of hospital collapse due to this infection is not so high It doesn't mean that it has stopped being a problem.
While young people like those who are not yet vaccinated are less likely to die from covid, we must not forget that between 10-15% of covid patients develop prolonged illness with symptoms lasting several months (cprolonged ovid or long covid). If many people are infected, there will be a significant number of patients with chronic, sometimes disabling, symptoms.
There is a risk that those who become infected will transmit the infection to people around them, even if they are vaccinated
In second place, There is a risk that those who become infected will transmit the infection to people around them, even if they are vaccinated. And even if the effectiveness of the vaccine reaches 90%, 10% of all those vaccinated exposed to the virus, if there is a lot of transmission in the community, many will also be sick.
Thirdly, during a wave the amount of virus replicating at the population level is very high, which can contribute to the emergence and selection of new variants which, theoretically, could reduce vaccine effectiveness.
On the other hand, we must also take into account the healthcare system overload caused by these infections, which are preventable, which It will cause care for other types of patients to suffer., conditioning an increase in income due to other diseases.
Finally, we must also take into account the economic consequences that all with certain sectors, for example foreign tourism, you may have seen us marked on the map as an area of high incidence. For all of the above, although the situation regarding this wave is more favorable than that of a year ago, The damage that SARS-CoV-2 can cause to many people individually and to society as a whole remains high.
- What should be done to stop the incidence?
Especially, accelerate vaccination as much as possible. But since this measure is not immediate, It is important that the susceptible population last a little longer by applying prevention measures that we all know: avoid interacting without a mask with people from outside the area of coexistence. Closed spaces are much more risky and the permanent use of a mask in them along with ventilation measures is essential, avoiding them if possible, at least while the cumulative incidence is high. Nevertheless, Outdoor interactions at close distances are also problematic. Por eso la mask In outdoor spaces it is also necessary when we are going to be close to other people. These measures are necessary for all of us, but they are especially important for the unvaccinated and the most vulnerable. And, of course, the early and strict isolation and quarantine of cases and contacts, respectively.
- With the door open to the emergence of new variants. Should we be careful even if vaccination reaches 70%? There is the example of Israel, which has returned to the use of masks indoors…
- It is difficult to establish a specific vaccination threshold to achieve herd immunity because it varies, among others, depending on the transmissibility of the dominant variants. The greater the transmissibility, the percentage of the vaccinated population necessary to achieve herd immunity will also be higher.
- It seems that the delta variant is becoming one of the dominant onesAre you worried about the emergence of new variants?
- Yes, it is another source of concern.
- Do you think we underestimate its presence because we do not do enough genetic sequencing of new infections?
- Being able to sequence the virus has in itself been a great advance for the Aragon health system and this technology can be used for other problems as important as antibiotic resistance. Having said that, individual prevention measures are the same for each and every one of the variants and They must be applied regardless of which is the dominant variant.
- What factors have come together to be in this situation of increased incidence?
- There are many factors influencing this rebound. Some of them are related to the virus (arrival and expansion of the delta variant) and others to how we defend ourselves against this threat. Surely several have coincided. The improvement in the epidemiological situation, with a drastic decrease in the number of new cases, together with the fact that the most susceptible individuals were already vaccinated, has made it possible to consider reducing the intensity of prevention measures. This reduction in the intensity of the measures has probably been excessive on the part of a considerable number of people, who have interpreted that the pandemic was over. This has made this rise in the number of cases possible, mainly among unvaccinated people. Once again, this virus has highlighted how the situation can change in a short time.
Vaccination is probably the best solution, but it is not immediate. Therefore, it is also necessary to apply other types of measures."
What do you think vaccination of the youngest is brought forward?
- Vaccination is probably the best solution, but it is not immediate. The entire population cannot be vaccinated in an instant and even if we could do so, the effect of the vaccine takes several weeks to be achieved. Therefore, it is also necessary to apply other types of prevention, restriction of interactions and protection measures., whose effect is immediate.
- Do vaccines protect against this variant the same?
- The data available to date indicate that, in general, people who have received a complete vaccination schedule continue to enjoy a high level of protection against the development of severe forms of the infection. Nevertheless, This protection is not absolute and, although less likely, it is possible for vaccinated people to become infected and develop a serious infection.
