I know that this one is a site for book reviews, but...I am a reporter as you know and this topic is too important for all of us: COVID-19.
Yesterday I have been invited at the participation of the symposium organized by the Columbia University: Vaccines and Global Health: COVID-19 Vaccine Development, Strategy and Implementation.
The Program in Vaccine Education at the Columbia has a special mission: the one of inform, educators, academic, journalists, health care professionals , global health non-governmental organizations, and people in general regarding the importance of vaccines, their development.
During these past three centuries, scientists discovered something like 30 vaccines that saved the humanity from horrible diseases. I received the vaccination against smallpox. I was little, I don't remember that jag, but I did it. Smallpox was a horrible illness, defeated because of a vaccination.
Sure, problems are not resolved with the discoveries of these vaccines; scientists discover everyday new way for treating new illnesses, and the discovery of more than 150 pathogens can't let us stay relaxed.
Sure: what happened last December in Wuhan has been like a third world war, made without guns, but with an invisible enemy, and not only: repercussion involved every single aspect of the daily existence of citizens: people learnt that they needed to wear a mask for protection; that they needed to wash their hands with lotions and soap very often during the day; that they had to give up most of their human interactions; not anymore bars, cafés, restaurant, sport; nothing. Every little action became endlessly tiring, like buying something at the supermarket or in a pharmacy, because of long lines; it is still in this way and will be for some other time in this way.
Hearing from the oldest people, the ones experienced also the latest world war conflict, emerged that a pandemic flu is something, where possible, more horrible than a war, because, if in a war you have the chance, the necessity of seeing people, for searching a refugee, an escapism somewhere, or just for comfort and because united we can fight much better, during a pandemic flu isolation is a priority for keeping safe the existences.
Who experienced or is experiencing COVID-19 and what this illness mean will tell like a mantra: try of not catching it, because it is not important the level of illness you will experience, a pandemic flu is mortal in a percentage of 1,5-2.00% of the population, but because also when symptoms are not particularly virulents, people live in a miserable state.
As you know I follow the story of COVID-19 from the beginning, when there was just the news of a weird, unfortunately not curable pneumonia in the city of Wuhan. It was more than understandable that this one would have been our pandemic influenza.
Since there I posted wagons of articles in the net; sharing them to me means that other people will be very well informed because they're first-hand news and I always hope that thaks also to them they won't fall sick. Saving lives to me is incredibly important and in a pandemic flu it is the most important thing to do: preserving the population.
I accepted with great enthusiasm the invitation.
25 eminent people will make the point about COVID-19, responses, strategies and what will happen next during these days.
I tell you what it was said in the first day of discussion. I didn't write anything and I have many internet connection problems (I don't have anymore an internet connection, just my smartphone, and living in a countryside means that sometimes it doesn't work well at all.)
So more or less the most important concepts I remember.
The welcome from Lee Bellinger, President of the Columbia University; moderator was Lawrence R. Stanberry, MD, PhD – director of the Programs in Global Health, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
At first a relator told to the audience the importance and velocity applied in the discovery of a vaccine in grade to make a difference for the global population. The study of the genome of a virus and the possibility of having these kind of vaccines, will mean in the future a quickest time for the preparation of vaccines involving other dangerous and lethal illnesses.
Zika and Ebola have been two incredibly complicated epidemics and the outbreak, at first in Wuhan, China of COVID-19 meant for the world, the biggest fight in a century, speaking medically but also economically, socially.
Not only: in the future, the relator added, not now, because still in the pandemic moment, will be indispendible to try to understand what it could have been done more. The USA in fact experienced yesterday more than 500.000 dead people and in a few months the number could increase, reaching the 700.000 units. Wagons of people lost their existence and it will be indispensible to try to understand why all of it happened.
Nancy Messonnier, MD Director of National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC, focused the attention in the arrival of the vaccines. It will be and it is a massive vaccination this one wanted in the USA and every public or private space will be taken in great consideration for the vaccination against COVID-19. Not only: it will be important to sensibilize, added Messonier, people regarding the importance of being vaccinated against Covid-19. Because vaccine will be a first important step for then trying to see a sort of normality.
Shabir Madhi, MBChB, MMed, FCPaeds PhD – Professor of Vaccinology, University of the Witwatersrand offered a perspective about the situation in South Africa with a lot of slides focusing also on the efficacy or not efficacy of the various first generation vaccines against COVID-19.
Anna Maria Polidori
No comments:
Post a Comment