New Delhi:
The main lesson from the pandemic is climate change, and it all comes down to what humans have done to the environment, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO) said today. Our lives are intertwined with environmental health, she added.
The vulnerable suffer a lot, such as the floods in Pakistan. It can happen to any country, and it’s important to focus on justice and help those left behind, she said.
She also stressed the importance of a public health approach, having good data and research.
About vaccines that take their toll on the body, she said the benefits far outweigh the risks.
“Vaccinology has saved many lives in the 20th and 21st centuries, and everything is a balance between life and risk. Likewise, safety is important for vaccines and there is a high bar for safety. There will be rare adverse cases, such as 3-4 in a million,” said Dr Swaminathan.
When asked about the validity of vaccines to DailyExpertNews, as many became infected with Covid even after taking booster doses, she said the doses prevent serious illness.
We are recovering quickly thanks to vaccines, she said, noting that more than 13 billion people worldwide have taken the vaccine and 20 million lives have been saved. Most deaths in the US were the result of no vaccination, she added.
dr. Swaminathan further explained that vaccines are being developed with high efficacy and safety. The virus is trying to evolve, and every time mutations have allowed the virus to evade antibodies, she said, adding that “there are people who haven’t taken the vaccine and haven’t gotten sick, but that’s a matter of chance.
She praised India’s vaccination efforts and said the country has done a great job in vaccinating people.
“During the delta wave, many were not vaccinated and that’s why we saw the impact. Drugs helped reduce the severity and can prevent you from getting very sick. A booster dose is very important,” she said.