Either all Latvian residents vaccinate for Covid-19 and get infected with Covid-19 – immunity will be acquired either way, said epidemiologist Ņikita Trojanskis at a seminar organized by Latvian Traders Association.
«The decision to not vaccinate is the same as the decision to get infected,» said the epidemiologist, explaining why he believes it is more reasonable to get vaccinated.
His experience shows that often people do not oppose vaccines as such – people get vaccinated for tuberculosis, measles or encephalitis. Covid-19 is not considered a serious problem.
«We can tell how dangerous the infection is if we look at mortality rates. For example, for flu the percentage is lower than 0.1% – every one-thousandth ends up hospitalized and less than half of them die later. With Covid-19, on the other hand, every tenth person ends up hospitalized and every fifth of them dies. This means the lethality is 1.5-2%, which is 10-20% higher when compared to flu,» stresses Ņikita Trojanskis.
Read also: A look at mortality among Covid-19 vaccinated and non-vaccinated people in Latvia
The epidemiologist also explained that people should not rely solely on their body’s natural immune system.
Trojanskis stresses that «Long Covid» is an argument to getting vaccinated for people who believe Covid will not reach them.
The epidemiologist once again reminded that vaccines are safe, effective and tested. ‘90 000 test participants are enough to make the conclusion that vaccines are safe and effective,’ says the expert.
Trojanskis explains the vaccine development time with considerable finances provided to researchers, because normally a lot of time is spent searching for financing to afford research, since it is a very expensive process – paying for clinic, doctors, volunteers and other expenses.
«Usually it’s an expensive pleasure. This time, however, there were no problems with financing – all sides were interested in developing a vaccine as quickly as possible to end the pandemic.»
Epidemiologist: «Long Covid» is an argument in favour of vaccination for people who believe the virus won’t reach them
