Kon: It is necessary to introduce 24-hour COVID passes

Kon: It is necessary to introduce 24-hour COVID passes

Crisis staff member, epidemiologist Dr Predrag Kon, pointed out that during the session of the Crisis Staff, "there was no discussion about COVID passes".

"The explanation was that the measures taken so far are sufficient and that there is simply no need to do anything about them. These are explanations. It must be understood that the medical part of the Crisis Staff still maintains that one of the minimum measures is the introduction of a 24-hour pass. It solves a lot of things that haven't been talked about yet. There was no talk today about ski resorts or the New Year, and that's exactly why we think the 24-hour COVID pass is something to think about very seriously", said Kon in a guest appearance on TV K1.

Kon pointed out that the session was constructive and that there was no reason for satisfaction or dissatisfaction, as well as the question of whether the measures would be successful enough or not.

"We had a synergistic effect of introducing passes for 20 hours in parallel with the extended vacation. The number of patients fell by half only thanks to those measures that worked synergistically. We followed what happened after that. There was a small increase, but no further increase, which is a good sign because the curve will continue to flatten", he added.

Kon said that in the consultations a week ago, it was clearly stated that it would not be bad to start the holiday earlier.

"The arguments that came from educators, including the Ministry of Education, were strong enough to understand how much of a problem it is for them. On the other hand, the fact remains that our people will come during the holidays and bring the virus. We don't know if it will be omicron, we are not calling for it, but it is also possible and possibly the flu virus", said Kon.

He added that there is still no solid data on whether the immunity acquired through vaccination or past disease is sufficient for the omicron variant. Based on preliminary statements from Israel, for example, it is expected that the immunization that was carried out is enough for omicron. On the other hand, you have statements that the vaccine will be 20 to 30 percent less effective, but that it will be effective.

"It's still just impressions and we can't say yet what is expected. In South Africa, there has been an acceleration of transmission and relatively rapid dominance of the virus, but no one is saying it's a harder clinical picture, or a harder picture at all," he said. He added that what was brought today is the result of a constructive discussion, where arguments were heard from all sides.

"In this situation, when we have appeasement, it will last at least two more weeks, possibly longer. In any case, it can be seen two weeks in advance. There is a final decision to hold a winter break as it has been envisaged in the first place," Kon concluded.