COVID19: Prevention key to tackling mutations

Prevention and treatment of coronavirus are the most important factors as the COVID-19 pandemic enters a new phase, said scientist Zoe Dorothea Pana.

Pana said that every phase of the pandemic and how it is addressed must be different and adapted to the changing situation and available tools.

The current variants are very contagious, increasing the infection rate, however, there is not such an increase of hospital patients in critical condition, and deaths have remained stable.

According to the data of the State Health Services Organisation, the percentage of people who contract the virus and are treated in a hospital is below 1%.

And the percentage of infected people admitted to emergency treatment units is also very small compared to the previous variants.

Pana said that new tools for the treatment of patients are now available.

“Currently, we have in Cyprus two anti-virus medicines, one of which is administered at hospitals and can help reduce up to 90% the danger for admission due to severe symptoms”.

She also said that these medicines must be administered within the first five days after the disease is diagnosed.

Furthermore, Pana recalled that the European Medicines Agency, the ECDC, and the European Commission had approved vaccines which reduce the possibility of severe illness and have recommended the administration of the fourth dose to boost the defence of vulnerable individuals.