The state must begin preparing now the ground for the smooth return to normal in Autumn with a series of measures, Konstantinos Makris, Associate Professor at the Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health of the Cyprus University of Technology, has said.
In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency, Makris noted that a plan must be prepared by the state and civil society for the coming Autumn, in order to avoid the repercussions following the restrictive measures of the previous period.
Public health, he said, is not only the coronavirus, but all other diseases as well, adding that as vaccinations proceed, we must upgrade the health system, upgrade and strengthen ICUs, but also the health care services offered to patients, and a plan must be prepared by the state and civil society, so that we can move from the uncertainty of the previous period to an optimistic and realistic normality.
He said that SARS-CoV-2 should be included in the wider context of epidemiological surveillance along with other diseases, without being given exclusive and privileged monitoring against other viruses and diseases.
We now know, he pointed out, a lot more about the pandemic and how to address it, how it spreads, the problems on the health systems, the efficacy of the restrictive measures, its impact on the society etc.
He stressed that we need to further strengthen the health system, increase the number of beds, the options for medical treatment, and an increased number of staff.
Furthermore, he emphasised on the need to continue informing citizens about individual health protection measures, saying that even after vaccinations, self-protection measures must continue both by vaccinated and non-vaccinated people.
Asked when the pandemic will end and if measures will still be in place next year, he said that “unfortunately, many scientists are under pressure to make predictions. We have a natural phenomenon, a pandemic, which is unpredictable. Making predictions is not easy. I think it is too early to say for sure when the pandemic will end.”
(CNA)
