Portugal and countries with high vaccination with ″ manageable pressure ″ in hospitals
“Countries or regions with vaccinal coverage levels in the total population above the current EU average, and particularly those with the highest levels of coverage, may have a manageable pressure of admissions and deaths” per covid-19, says the official by the ECDC department of contagious diseases and epidemics, Ole Heuer, in a written interview with Lusa agency, in Brussels.
This “unless there is a strong decrease in immunity six months after vaccination and / or its population has a low natural immunity”, safeguards the official.
The EU is currently facing a massive resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 infections causing covid-19, with admissions such as admissions to intensive care and the number of deaths also increasing, caused by the dominance of the Delta variant (more contagious ) and by lower temperatures, more conducive to respiratory diseases.
Therefore, Ole Heuer argues that these highly vaccinated countries should “maintain or reintroduce measures such as limiting the size of events and meetings, promoting telework, using face masks in shared spaces and physical distance, as vaccinated people still can be infected and further transmit SARS-CoV-2”.
ECDC data show that, so far, 76.5% of the adult population in the EU is fully vaccinated, while more than 81% have only had the first dose.
This equates to 279 million people with the complete vaccination schedule and 297 million with at least one dose administered, according to the ECDC website on vaccination in the EU, which is based on data from Member States.
By country, there are large discrepancies in rates, between 28.6% of total adult vaccination in Bulgaria and 92.6% in Ireland.
In addition to Bulgaria, Romania also has a rate of 42.8%, the second worst in the EU, with the remaining countries surpassing 50%, even so.
Regarding the countries with the highest levels of fully vaccinated adult population, in addition to Ireland, Portugal (91.9%) and Malta (91.8%) are, according to ECDC data.
Ole Heuer tells Lusa that countries with the least vaccinations “remain the most severely affected” by the resurgence of the virus.
Asked about the reasons that justify such low levels, especially in central and eastern Europe, the expert points out that “many countries have identified challenges around mistrust, misinformation and low risk perception, especially among young people, as some of the main drivers of low vaccination in different population groups”.
Ole Heuer therefore adds that “relentless efforts to increase immunization coverage rates across the EU/EEA [União Europeia e Espaço Económico Europeu] are of the utmost importance”.
“In parallel, the administration of an additional dose of vaccine to people who have a limited response to the primary course of anti-covid-19 vaccination, such as those in need of immunodepressed reduced immunity, as, older and frail, in particular those who live in environments “, highlighted the expert.
Created in 2005, ECDC is a European agency advising countries on strengthening Europe’s defense capacity against infectious diseases.