Vaccination prevents severe diseases: Soumya Swaminathan

While among the COVID-19 vaccines have reported diminished efficacy towards new variants of the SARS CoV-2 virus, they proceed to stay efficient in stopping severe sickness, stated Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization.

Delivering the twenty third Dr. S. Rangarajan Memorial Lecture, organised by Sundaram Medical Foundation by way of video conferencing on Friday, she stated that vaccination should be continued to stop severe sickness, hospitalisation and loss of life whatever the variants.

Pointing out that 11 vaccines had been used the world over towards COVID-19, Dr. Soumya stated that a few of them had reported diminished efficacy towards the brand new variants.

“However, clinical studies have shown that the majority of these vaccines are quite effective in at least preventing severe disease,” she stated.

Faster transmission

She stated that new variants lead to quicker transmission and explosive progress in instances.

However, she stated this didn’t imply that the virus had develop into extra virulent. “People do not die because the virus is more virulent. But because the health systems cannot cope. People may not get the care they need and therefore they may die,” she stated.

She spoke on the significance of protecting in thoughts equitable entry proper from the start of the event of vaccines.

Dr. Soumya cautioned towards rampant and pointless use of antibiotics for COVID-19 sufferers. Highlighting that drugs, equivalent to Favipiravir and Ivermectin, had been being prescribed, she stated that antibiotics should be used solely in case of sure sorts of pneumonia. She burdened on the necessity for steady monitoring and correct medical administration as a substitute of such avoidable remedy, which she stated might lull folks into believing that they had been getting higher.

About Remdesivir, she stated it had not confirmed to do something for mortality, severity or discount of hospitalisation. “In some cases, it has shown to reduce the disease by two days that too in situations where the patients were not too early or too late in the disease,” she stated.

‘Incredible progress’

Comparing steps towards tuberculosis and COVID-19, she highlighted the unbelievable scientific progress in the direction of vaccines and diagnostics made within the final yr for COVID-19, not like different infectious ailments for which it would take a number of years for such developments.

She stated that whereas applied sciences equivalent to genomic sequencing had drastically helped the combat towards the pandemic, COVID-19 reiterated the necessity for strengthening typical mechanisms to combat infectious ailments, equivalent to having robust surveillance, main healthcare methods and skilled public well being professionals. She highlighted the significance of worldwide solidarity.