Portugal is already endemic and should return to normality, says Pedro Simas
Portugal has already entered the endemic phase of covid-19 and should return to normality, protecting risk groups and ending the widespread use of mask and isolation, defended this Wednesday virologist Pedro Simas.
In remarks to Lusa, the researcher at the Institute of Molecular Medicine of the University of Lisbon said that he agrees with the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe, who recently admitted that a pandemic could soon end on this continent.
“I agree with the WHO. This is the evolution of the last viruses and pandemics. It is that of the last pandemics and it tells us that of the countries 100 years”, said Pedro Simas, for whom the asymmetries of Europeans still existing between several countries make it take time to declare a transition from pandemic to endemic.
On Sunday, the head of the WHO, Hans K., considered that in relation to cases, what was caused by variation, should be considered as health policies. “, rather than seeking to reduce the intensity of transmission of the virus.
According to Pedro Sim, in Portugal, which has about 90% of the population with a complete vaccine against covid-19, the numbers of intensive care remain “very stable”, or that prove that the vaccine is very severe illness and death.
There must be no immunity to anyone who does not have population immunity to the SARS-CoV virus, but there must also be from the vaccine against the virus causing the natural infection for the SARS-CoV virus. said the virologist.
There may be some risk groups with a third age, “you have to go back to normalization”, that may have some risk groups with a third age – that can use some risk groups with a third age – that can use some people associated -, who can use some risk groups with a third age.
For the researcher, the widespread use of the mask is no longer necessary at this stage, the screening test for SARS-CoV-2 should only be done “in a hospital context” and it is up to families to “do their self-management” through tests.
“It is very important that Instituto de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge continues to monitor the variants, but that it is not able to implement a variant that destroys our protection. Portugal has been endemic for a long time.”
Regarding the confinements, Pedro Simas said that, currently, “they are not very efficient”, not least because the country continues to have a high rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
“We have to assume our condition, and not having the National Health Service in `´stress (intensive care), it makes sense as whole families at home, when it is not even an absolute confinement”, he advanced.
According to the expert, confining about 10% of the population – about one million people – “ends up interfering with society”, without this having an effect on preventing infections.
“There were times of severe and total confinement, there were times of testing, there were times of vaccine and time with a third dose, now is the time not to test and to be suspicious”, advocated Pedro Simas, emphasizing that these decisions have to be made based on in science.
Bearing in mind that in the coming days the world will reach the “historic” milestone of vaccines in months, the virologist estimates that, within a few days, the WHO may announce that “the pandemic will end this year”, considering not only the vaccinated world population , but also the natural acquisition by infection immunity.
“The urgency of vaccinating other countries has passed, because this opportunity has been lost”, the advance qualified the researcher, according to the dissemination of the Ómicron variant at a global level, it may represent the “end of the pandemic in the world”.
