Al-Aram Hebdo : The pandemic situation in Egypt is “ under control but is vaccination still as important as it was a few months ago?
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Batanouni: Vaccination remains important, both for people who have not yet received their first dose and for those who have taken booster doses. That said, the vaccination schedule must be decided on a case-by-case basis.
“Can you tell us more?”
— It must first be emphasized that the new variants of the virus, although they have spread, have become less virulent, they no longer cause the infected person to deteriorate, as was the case at the beginning of the pandemic. Therefore, healthy children and young people cannot be forced to get vaccinated, because the majority of people infected at a young age only experience symptoms similar to those of a cold. At the height of the pandemic, I saw many cases, between the ages of 30 and 50 and in good health, falling into critical condition following the infection, due in particular to the overreaction of the immune system. Now that the majority of the population has contracted Covid, herd immunity has already developed and the human body has acquired the ability to manufacture antibodies capable of resisting the virus. However, I advise this category of people to be vaccinated if they have to travel, if they are part of the medical profession, or if they are forced, because of their work, to spend long periods of time in closed places.
— What regarding booster doses?
— We are still receiving critical cases of lung failure due to Covid infection, but the numbers have become very low compared to the previous three years. Therefore, booster doses remain important for the elderly, those with compromised immunity, and those with chronic conditions such as cancer, kidney failure or others. They should receive the vaccine periodically every 6 to 9 months.
— But the new vaccines, called bivalent, more effective once morest the Omicron variant, are not yet available in Egypt…
— Laboratories will be forced to adapt their vaccines as the virus changes. Pfizer has already made a more effective vaccine targeting the Omicron variant. It will soon be available in Egypt, as happened with older versions of the vaccine. In the meantime, the available vaccines remain more or less effective. The Chinese vaccines are the weakest, because they were designed according to the traditional method, but they have the advantage of not causing severe side effects. The most effective vaccines are Pfizerfollowed by that of ModernthenAstraZeneca. And in general, we advise everyone to respect the preventive measures.
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