Prof. Dr. Yong Phuwarawan, a specialist in virology, reveals 15 lessons learned from COVID after 3 years, pointing out changes and more understanding.
Today (Dec. 12), Prof. Yong Phuwarawan, M.D., head of the Center, specializes in virology. Department of Pediatrics Clinic Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University Has come out to post a message on a personal Facebook page “Yong Poovorawan” on the issue of 15 lessons about the coronavirus after 3 years, with the message that
“COVID-19, lessons learned after 3 years
From the past 3 years, we have learned about COVID-19 and change the understanding more as follows
1. COVID-19 is possible again recurrent infection Or symptoms of the disease can occur repeatedly, like influenza RSV, unlike measles, hepatitis A, chickenpox, which once infected will have lifelong immunity against disease.
2. Herd Immunity was talked about in the early stages in hopes of halting the epidemic. Not compatible with covid-19, although almost all people are immune. The disease is still the same. not gone anywhere
3. COVID-19 is a seasonal disease. For Thailand, there will be the peak of the outbreak in June to September and the second period in mid-November. until February but less than in the beginning
4. The hope of using a vaccine to end the epidemic or control the outbreak as expected in the first year therefore cannot be used
5. Current vaccines No vaccine is a god vaccine. As everyone initially demanded Every vaccine is different. only reduce the severity of the disease reduce the death rate
6. Vaccine Immunity whether high or low measured inability to prevent infection There is no need to measure immunity. Except in research studies only.
7. Critical care must focus on risk groups to reduce mortality. Whether preventing death with vaccines Next, we need to focus on vulnerable groups like influenza.
8. Diagnosis of infection or not At present, only ATK is sufficient, although its sensitivity is lower than realtime RT-PCR due to cost and duration limitations. We’ve run out of a lot of money.
9. The next important thing is to focus on treatment in vulnerable groups. Especially the use of effective antiviral drugs. And it’s going to be better nowadays. Most studies in small populations work well. But when it was actually used, it was less effective than the study. The same goes for vaccines. The experiment works well, but when used in practice Much less effective than the experiment.
10. Quarantine period always less The first phase must be strict about spreading to zero. But nowadays, the disease is easily contagious. Strict measures and discipline were therefore applied. home quarantine It’s not a hospital or a field hospital anymore. The hospital will treat patients with severe symptoms only. as in normal
11. In the future when the majority of the population is infected It will form a hybrid immunity. It is effective in reducing the severity of the disease as well. Frequent vaccinations are not necessary. The virus itself changes genetically over time. The resulting immunity cannot prevent infection.
12. Populations that do not have immunity or have never been infected and have never been vaccinated. Will be a group of small children from birth to Until vaccination or infection, however, infection in childhood. Less violence in adults or the elderly During the first six months of childhood, some of the landscapes are passed down from the mother. Like common respiratory diseases such as RSV and will become infected after 6 months.
13 next period Life will become more and more normal. And this disease is a respiratory disease. as well as other respiratory diseases caused by virus
14. All life must move on. And it is believed that the severity of the disease tends to decrease like respiratory diseases such as RSV influenza.
15. New knowledge through research There is still a need for continuing education. to use that knowledge in the context of Thailand.”