With the emergence of a new, more infectious strain of the SARS CoV 2 virus, it became clear that a larger percentage of the population should be vaccinated in order to reach an adequate level of collective immunity, said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Office in Montenegro, Mina Brajović.
She said that all vaccines for which the WHO has given the "green light" provide a high level of protection against COVID19 disease with a severe clinical picture and hospitalization.
"With greater vaccination coverage, there are fewer chances for the virus to spread and mutate into new, more dangerous forms," Brajović told the MINA agency.
She stated that she was encouraged by the fact that after the initiation of mass immunization against COVID 19, Montenegro worked intensively on dynamizing two-way communication with citizens about the risks and benefits of vaccination.
Brajović said that she is encouraged by the fact that Montenegro created the conditions to expand the range of available vaccines, and that a safe and effective vaccine be within reach of the elderly, citizens with chronic diseases or people living in rural and remote areas, mobilizing the total health resources system, including primary health care, patrol teams and introducing mobile vaccination points.
She said that conditions have been created so that no one is forgotten in the implementation of vaccination against COVID 19 in Montenegro.
"Unfortunately, this is not the case with a large percentage of the world's population precisely because of the worryingly large inequality in the distribution of vaccines in the world and the circumstances when 75 percent of the total doses are administered in countries with a high level of development," said Brajović.
She assessed that it is evident that the epidemiological situation in Montenegro, as well as in a significant number of countries in the European region, is very complex and dynamic.
She stated that the number of patients is increasing day by day, and unfortunately, the number of people who have died from COVID-19 is also increasing.
Brajović said that the growth in the number of new cases and hospitalizations is registered throughout the region of Europe, predominantly in the population of unvaccinated persons.
"Of the ten countries in the world with the highest transmission, four are from the European region, namely Great Britain, Turkey, Russia and France. The European region participates with 28 percent of the total number of new cases and with a quarter of the number of deaths," stated Brajović.
She said that intense social interaction, pandemic fatigue in the circumstances of the dominance of a new strain of the virus (delta strain) which is twice as contagious as the original strain, and relaxed measures are the prologue for a perfect storm.
Brajović said that this can be seen in Montenegro, but also in a number of other countries in Western, Central and Eastern Europe.
"Available epidemiological data indicate a rapid increase in the number of patients compared to the previous week not only in Montenegro (49 percent), but also in a significant number of other countries - Kosovo 275 percent, Albania 142, North Macedonia 123, Bosnia and Herzegovina 111, Serbia 80 , Bulgaria 74, Slovenia 61, Romania 63 percent," stated Brajović.
She pointed out that forecasts for the further development of the situation are very ungrateful and unreliable and that we are still in the acute phase of the pandemic.
"What we know for sure is that our behaviors shape the trajectory of the pandemic," Brajović said.
She added that in the circumstances of the pandemic, our decision to get vaccinated and follow the advice to wear a mask, take care of hygiene and avoid crowds and closed rooms with inadequate ventilation is a measure of our responsibility and solidarity towards the most vulnerable members of society and health workers who for the second year they work day and night and sacrifice their health in the fight against COVID 19.
According to her, in a way, Montenegro, like the rest of Europe, is experiencing deja vu.
Brajović said that the wave of infections is increasing this year after the summer months, but that the situation is qualitatively different.
"In the arsenal of weapons against the SARS CoV 2 virus, we have a safe and effective vaccine," Brajović pointed out.
She believes that this is not the time to point fingers and look for a guilty party.
"The decision to get vaccinated, wear a mask when necessary, practice distance and hand hygiene is a smart choice with which we can reverse the trend of getting sick and dying. These are anti-lock down measures that have no alternative," said Brajović.
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