A nurse prepares the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Sarcelles near Paris on Jan. 10, 2021.
ALAIN JOCARD | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON – As coronavirus vaccines continue to roll out in major economies around the world, attention is once again turning to current lockdown strategies in an effort to eliminate new cases of the virus.
Some experts have called for a “zero-Covid” strategy, calling for very strict lockdowns, social restrictions and travel bans in an effort to eradicate all cases of the virus before public and business life reopened.
Countries like New Zealand and Australia opted for this approach and shut down their countries early in the pandemic to prevent new cases. Citing their success in stopping the pandemic, some experts in Ireland are also arguing for a “zero-Covid” approach, although there is disagreement as to whether such a policy would work there, given Northern North America’s open border. Ireland with the rest of the UK.
On Thursday, experts from the World Health Organization said it was too early and difficult in practice for Europe to consider a “zero-Covid” approach.
“Elimination is something we basically want for every disease, for every pathogen, and it can be a very powerful work incentive. But whether we’re at the stage – to set goals for a ‘zero Covid’ strategy – is still always a different ball game, ”Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, told a press conference on Thursday.
“What we need to do in the first place is look at how people’s behavior, how they adhere to the non-pharmaceutical interventions, add up to the timing of political decisions with the rollout of vaccinations, and how to control the pandemic. will bring. “
Zero Covid strategies were based on banning inbound travel, but some countries were easier to restrict or “isolate from international travel” than others, Kluge said. Many countries in Europe have banned all necessary travel during lockdown. Forced hotel quarantines for travelers to the UK are now on the agenda, although critics say the move is too little and too late.
A silver lining to lockdowns is provided by the rollout of vaccinations and, coupled with restrictions on public life, a slow decline in new cases and hospital admissions is slowly being observed.
Kluge said the European region, which includes 53 countries for WHO, has seen a decrease in the number of new cases over the past four weeks and the past two weeks. Still, more than 1 million cases were reported every 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 shots to tackle variants of the virus. Concern and caution about mutations prompt governments to be wary when it comes to lifting lockdowns.
First, Germany has extended its lockdown until the beginning of March against a background of concerns about the spread of a variant first discovered in the UK. With that variant now reported in more than 80 countries, according to WHO, a leading British scientist said it was on track “in all likelihood to conquer the world.”
Lockdown lifting “must be done gradually and securely,” said Kluge, adding “the biggest mistake is to lower our watch (too soon).”
Dr. Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency department with WHO’s Europe team, said the virus would benefit from relaxing restrictions too early.
“This virus will take advantage of any chance we give it to spread quickly, and it will spread much faster than we think … Every time we lift a restriction, every time we open up a part of our society , it will balance toward the virus’s favor. “
She warned that transmission rates remained high and that lowering these rates would support vaccination programs.