"We would be free for the New Year and Christmas"; "They are so narcissoid"

Perhaps paying for medical services should be considered or punishing antivaxxers.

Source: RTV Friday, 15.10.2021. | 12:34

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EPA-EFE/VALDRIN XHEMAJ

"Perhaps we should consider the introduction of paying for medical services or punishing those who oppose vaccination", medical professionals in the field of epidemiology, virusology and microbiology stated, with an idea to vaccinate majority of population and thus preventing the virus to mutate in new strains. Antivaxxers are given too much space and times for their propaganda and that is why we have a low percentage of vaccinated citizens, experts agree.

The director of the Health Center in Novi Sad, Dr Veselin Bojat says that there are citizens that want to do something for their good and be vaccinated and the antivaxxers are actually throwing us back to prehistory against this wicked disease although we have the most modern weapons.

September was the worst month after December last year in number of patients who have registered in our respiratory center, it just says that we missed something or we haven't done something well", says Dr Bojat.

He noted that the state did everything that was supposed to do and that the vaccines were provided, so that what we need to do was get vaccinated.

The doctor emphasized that there is an antivaxxer's lobby in Serbia who wants to fight the virus bare-handed.

He hinted that the new contingent of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V will arrive to Serbia in two weeks.

The director of COVID Hospital in Novi Sad, Dr Čabarkapa pointed out that the situation in the hospital is worrying that more than five hundred patients are housed and that almost 90 percent of them are not vaccinated. He told citizens to be responsible and to protect themselves and others.

"I have to point out that the situation is very worrying, that health workers are quite tired, but they still struggle to win this disease," he says.

He points out that the most patients at this clinic are between 40 and 60, but notes that no ages are spared. "The youngest patient with a severe clinical picture, therefore, on the mechanical pulmonary ventilation, is 29 years old and is not vaccinated," says Dr Chabarkapa. He adds that with the most serious clinical picture, there are more than 90 percent of patients without being vaccinated. He says that it is not easy to win over a machine, but that there are patients who beat the respirator.

"First of all, I need to appeal to all our citizens that we must be responsible", doctor said, meaning that we must get vaccinated.

COVID hospitals like war hospitals

Virologist and microbiologist of the Veterinary Institute in Kraljevo, Milanko Sekler compared our COVID hospital with war hospitals.

"It should be underlined, we should limit the influence of antivaxxers who only criticize and do not offer any alternative to vaccination and treatment," he says. He gave a personal example of a friend who asked him for the advice whether his pregnant wife should receive a third dose, because her gynecologist advised her to wait.

President of the Association of Pediatricians of Serbia Dr Georgios Konstantinidis also objected to the antivaxxers and their propaganda, claiming that they give them too much attention. He believes that the state should prevent their action that is disastrous. He says he resented the state that did not banned their appearance on social networks.

"Parents who don't want to vaccinate children don't really know why they have such an attitude, so we have extremely small percentages of vaccinated children up to 12 years. This percentage is even lower, below 3%," Konstantinidis said.

He thinks parents don't know why they won't vaccinate their children. As he says, they themselves are not vaccinated, so they certainly do not want to vaccinate the child. Psychologist Dušan Vuković stated that the so-called Narcissists believe that the virus cannot do anything and therefore there is no need for vaccine, and on the other hand, there are those who do not believe in vaccines.

"In our ambience, we must overcame the antivaxxers and beat them with arguments or otherwise prevent them from generating a problem," Vukovic said. Epidemiologist Branislav Tiodorović claims that we should see the highly developed countries that have achieved a high percentage of vaccination and take them as a positive example. "If we don't cross 60 percent of vaccinated, we will find the virus constantly among unprotected ones, and new mutated strains will attack even the vaccinated", he said.

The epidemiologist points out that the goal is to vaccinate 80 percent of the population, but that this pace cannot be achieved. "The goal is to have 80 percent vaccinated. The vaccination is the only solution, the countries with over 80-85 percent, they are able to set themselves free, and we with the dynamics cannot achieve it. It would be ideal to do it in October. Then we will be free for the New Year and Christmas", he says. The only solution of the epidemic is the mass vaccination and introduction of mandatory vaccination for a certain group of people, claims Dr. Tiodorović.

"You currently have one choice, to vaccinate and with respecting measures, you will be very safe, or finish on the respirator," the epidemiologist concludes.