Logroño, January 14 (European News) –
According to physician and UNIR expert Vicente Soriano flu wave The bottom line is that what we have experienced over the past few weeks is “no worse or more contagious than in previous years.” Although, as he clarified, “in past events, due to the coronavirus, what happened was, Our immunity is very lowwe are restricted and We haven’t suffered the stress that hits us every year“.
“Now suddenly the autumn of 2023 has arrived and most of us have lost our memories and no exhibitions from previous years and it seems that things are getting worse because everyone is not okay” But ““The flu is no different than any other year.”
Experts believe that in addition to this, ” vaccination rate It’s enough to fight the flu low, It’s not over 60% or 65%, maybe because we’re still only thinking about COVID-19 or because we’ve lost a little bit of fear about respiratory viruses. So “it’s not that it’s worse, it’s that we have less exposure” So the result is, “Population immunity is low.”
“We cannot forget that we always have severe flu peaks in the autumn and what we do is vaccinate people against the influenza strains that are circulating that year,” he reminded European Press.
“Peak” on January 15
Asked when is expected Influenza “peak” is coming For our region, doctors specializing in infectious diseases believe that, in the case of La Rioja, “data show that the flu starts to appear around mid-December, and after Christmas the hotspots move to the entire peninsula, located in different areas.. .Indicates that the “peak” will come, probably, Around January 15th. “
For his part, as a protective measure, he said, “We all know the theory of trying not to get the flu, but the reality is it’s very difficult.”
As advice, the UNIR Faculty of Health Sciences Associate Dean for Research first addressed people who are already experiencing symptoms. “first, responsibility, “They must avoid contact with vulnerable people in the environment, elderly relatives or people receiving any immunosuppressive treatment for the 3-7 days that symptoms persist.”
To the rest of society, “What we learned from COVID-19, starting with the already implemented wearing of masks in health centers to avoid crowd gatherings and closed spaces. This is easier said than done, but that’s why it calls for personal responsibility. “
For the rest,”The flu is the flu.You have to be careful with the most vulnerable people,” but “most importantly, you have to spend your money on It will not cause social panic“.
As advice, he also made it clear that “especially for the most vulnerable groups, get vaccinated as much as possible and wear a mask when going to crowded places.” Because “yes, masks are especially effective because we don’t have a lot of other tools as well.”
“It’s important that symptomatic people try to catch the virus, but it’s also important that people who are considered vulnerable, people with diabetes, people who are obese, people over 65… all those people who are exposed to the virus… …, this could manifest itself in more severe forms.”
But also remember, “hospitals are a little overwhelmed by the three viruses that are currently causing respiratory symptoms, and for those three viruses, we have three diagnostics, we have vaccines, They are respiratory syncytial virus, new coronavirus and influenza A virus, We also have antiviral drugs for at least two of them.
When should we go to an emergency?
On the other hand, UNIR experts also explain when we should go to the emergency room. “If the situation becomes complicated, those who must go to the emergency room are considered high-risk., vulnerable populations, the elderly, people with diabetes, people who are obese, people who take medications we call immunosuppressants, people who have received transplants…these people, if exposed to these viruses, are at greater risk of developing severe forms. “
For other healthy people, young people, children…”Colds usually have no serious consequences. A person may feel unwell for 3-5-7 days, have fever, cough, general malaise…this is normal.In less severe cases it is usually recommended that Paracetamol and lots of hydration, which is what a person loses due to a fever, especially what a spectator loses, and usually disappears within 3-5 days. “These people do not need to go to emergency services.”
“It’s important to call on everyone to take responsibility. There is no need to cause panic in society now because influenza always happens. COVID-19 is unprecedented, but not now.” Influenza comes every year, this outbreak is not highly contagious and there is no evidence“What happens is we have low vaccination rates and we haven’t been exposed to other variants in three years, so there’s less residual immunity.”
‘The fact is vaccines work’
Regarding the vaccine, he was clear, “I understand there are people who are sad about it and there are even some people who are in denial.” But vaccines for influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus have been proven to be effective“.
What’s more, “thanks to vaccines, Our babies have almost no bronchiolitis The incidence of serious complications from respiratory viruses has dropped significantly among people over 60. “If there’s no very clear reason not to get vaccinated, then we should all get vaccinated.”
As you know, the campaign runs through February, so everyone is encouraged to get vaccinated. “It can take up to a week from the moment you receive the vaccine until severe forms of protective immunity develop, So the message right now is that it’s very convenient to get vaccinated. “
Finally, regarding the current situation of the new coronavirus, experts said, “Although sometimes the World Health Organization comes out to guarantee that there will be another new wave, a new variant, The truth is, all the damage that COVID-19 can do has already been done. What was supposed to happen has happened. That’s the idea”.
“We are three years into COVID and we cannot expect completely unknown variants to emerge again. Basically, we can protect ourselves with newly introduced vaccine variants,” he concluded.