The goal of the Mexican government to vaccinate at least 80 million inhabitants over 18 years of age against covid-19 by the end of October. It does not mean at all that a “herd immunity” was achieved. And even less so that “the pandemic is or will be tamed at the local, state or country level.” On the contrary, it will continue until 2022, assured the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Pandemic in Mexico: In no way is the pandemic or will be tamed at the local level
“In no way is the pandemic or will be tamed at the local, state or country level. This, while the SARSCoV-2 and its variants of concern will be circulating in the country, in the region of the Americas or globally ”.
“Almost all countries in the region, including Mexico, are reporting community transmission and we expect outbreaks. As well as situations of high transmission in many areas of the continent until entering 2022 or later, “said Sylvain Aldighieri, Incident manager for covid-19 at PAHO.
Not a vaccination record saves us
When asking if the strategy of the government of Mexico as part of the National Vaccination Policy to reach the October 31 that the entire population over 18 years of age. That is, around 80 million, have received some doses of vaccine against covid-19, it would place Mexico within the countries safe from the pandemic virus. PAHO’s response was that there are still high rates of contagion.
“Although vaccine coverage saves lives, we should not make public health policies with presumptions or assumptions. Aldighieri explained that “the concept of herd immunity could be misunderstood. This is a theoretical concept that implies certain reservations, such as the existence of a large mixed population, and this is almost never the case, “he added.
Herd or community immunity is also not a fixed threshold
“Herd or community immunity is also not a fixed threshold, but varies depending on several factors, such as how much people interact with the variants and how many variants are circulating. Therefore, we should not make policies based on whether or not herd immunity has been achieved; this is not the basis for making public health policies ”, he insisted.
PAHO, he clarified, recommends that even when community transmission decreases in any country, there may still be outbreaks in specific situations, for example, events and crowded environments that are highly contagious. Vaccine coverage undoubtedly contributes to reducing transmission, however, to what extent it reduces this degree of contagiousness “remains an open question.” Mainly, because there is still resistance to being immunized by some sectors.
Even so, you MUST get vaccinated …
In this context, PAHO recommends that the population be vaccinated to protect themselves and avoid serious consequences. Protect others in your family, and reinforce non-pharmacological preventive measures, such as the use of face masks, masks, hand washing and avoiding crowds.
“The population not yet vaccinated is invited to go to the vaccination centers against covid-19 to protect themselves,” he stressed.
He also explained that, for now, there is no evidence of an increase in seasonal influenza in Mexico.
“The sentinel surveillance system is activated, it issues reports, it shares them, it channels them in a very fluid way with PAHO,” he explained. For his part, in a morning conference, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared: “Yes, we can reiterate the commitment that at the end of October they will be vaccinated. Even with a dose, all Mexican men and women over 18 years of age. We are talking about 80 million people by then ”.
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