Andrea Juric, an epidemiologist and director of the Public Health Institute of the West Herzegovina Canton, told that the new variants of the coronavirus are much more infectious, but at the same time safer for humans. However, she emphasized thatthe overload of the health system is a big issue.
She spoke about the increase in the number of new cases of coronavirus in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and warned that we are in an extremely difficult time. At the same time, she noted, we have never been closer to collective immunity.
“The numbers are increasing, you have a large number of undiscovered cases – the scientific community considers three to four times, and maybe more. We are in a very difficult situation, as far as our health and our health system are concerned,” said Juric.
Juric mentioned that the goal of the virus is to mutate into as harmless but infectious forms as possible, which has now been shown.
“The new variants that are being discovered every day actually show that they are much more infectious, but they are safer for people than the original variant. The problem is the overload of the health system, which is already difficult to function not because of problems with equipment or medicines, but because of problems with the human factor, a large number of patients among medical professionals. We are already running out of staff, people are exhausted, there is a kind of mental burnout and people are finding it increasingly difficult to perform their tasks,” said Juric.
She emphasized that the profession, for now, has no knowledge that the coronavirus will disappear. As she pointed out, the virus is constantly changing and it is difficult to say what its ultimate characteristics will be.
The assumption is that it will be like the flu, that vaccination will be necessary, and that after it, just like when we recover naturally from diseases, the organism has a certain immunity.
“Fortunately, every next infection can be equal or less dangerous,” Juric told.
When it comes to flurona, simultaneous infection with the flu virus and coronavirus, Juric explained that this has not proven to be more dangerous than infection with just one virus.
E.Dz.
Source: BHRT
