A nurse is preparing the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Sarcelles, near Paris, on January 10, 2021.
ALAIN JOCARD | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON – As coronavirus vaccines continue to be launched in major economies around the world, attention is once again turning to current blocking strategies, in an attempt to eliminate any new cases of the virus.
Some experts have called for a “zero-Covid” strategy, advocating very strict blockages, social restrictions and travel bans, in an attempt to eradicate all cases of the virus before reopening public life and business again.
Countries such as New Zealand and Australia have opted for this approach, closing their countries at the beginning of the pandemic to prevent new cases. Citing their success in stopping the pandemic, some experts in Ireland also support a “zero-covid” approach, although there are disagreements over whether such a policy would work there, given Northern Ireland’s open border with the rest of the United Kingdom.
On Thursday, World Health Organization experts said it was too early and difficult in practice for Europe to consider a “zero-Covid” approach.
“Elimination is something we want, in principle, for any disease, for any pathogen and can be a very strong work stimulant. But if we are now setting goals for a “zero Covid” strategy – it is still a different game, “said Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, on Thursday.
“What we need to do first is to see how people’s behavior, how they adhere to non-pharmaceutical interventions, adds to the timing of policy decisions with the launch of vaccination and how it will bring the pandemic under control. “
Zero Covid’s strategies were based on a travel ban, but some countries were easier to restrict or “isolate from international travel” than others, Kluge said. Many European countries have banned all but essential travel during the blockade. Forced hotel quarantines for travel to the UK are now in the books, although critics say the move is too small, too late.
A silver lining to blockages is provided by vaccination launches and, associated with restrictions on public life, there is a slow decline in new cases and hospitalizations.
Kluge said the European region, which for WHO includes 53 countries, has seen a drop in new cases in the past four weeks and deaths in the past two weeks. However, more than 1 million cases have been reported each week in the European region, Kluge said, and the spread of new variants remains a major concern.
Vaccine manufacturers are already working on second-generation photos to target variants of the virus. Concern and caution about mutations cause governments to be vigilant when it comes to lifting bottlenecks.
First, Germany extended its blockade in early March amid concerns about the spread of a variant first discovered in the UK. With this variant now reported in over 80 countries, according to the WHO, a leading British scientist said he was about to “sweep the world, in all probability.”
Lifting the blockages “must be done gradually and safely,” Kluge said, adding “the biggest mistake is to lower our guard (too early).”
Dr Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency officer for the WHO team in Europe, said the virus would benefit from the restrictions being reduced too soon.
“This virus will take advantage of any chance we give it to spread quickly and will spread much faster than we think. … Every time we lift a restriction, every time we open a part of our society it will change its balance in favor of the virus. “
She warned that transmission rates remained high and that reducing them would support vaccination programs.