“The characteristics of the current mutation are not the same as those of the previous ones. The summer went very well epidemiologically. We are in the phase of coexistence with the pandemic. We have moved away from the logic of systematic control, we have different data, the trend is for the most lenient measures from now on, because we have returned to normal life.” This is a small collection of statements by the Minister of Education, Nikis Kerameosin his recent TV interviews on the occasion of the imminent reopening of schools.

In fact, the government has already signaled its end since the end of spring. pandemicbased, as its leaders often repeat, on the unanimous recommendations of an expert commission. She became COVID-19 flu? According to official figures, as of May 30, the number of deaths from coronavirus was 29,876 people. On August 31, their number reached 32,639. In other words, 2,763 of our fellow citizens died during the summer months, an average of 31 per day.

OUR “K” contacted with two eminent Greek scientists abroad. His George Pavlakisphysician and researcher in the USA, and George Cassiotis, immunologist, retrovirologist, director of the laboratory of retroviral immunology at the Francis Crick Institute and professor of retrovirology at Imperial College London. Do they share the opinion that the coronavirus is no longer so dangerous? What mistakes should we not make (or repeat) in the coming months in the fight against the pandemic?

“We must not underestimate the virus. And underestimation takes many forms. Some say that COVID-19 does not exist, many are convinced that it was the flu or a cold. Schematic but erroneous proof of this are cases when acquaintances fell ill with virtually no symptoms and recovered. However, some people of all ages do not tolerate the infection painlessly. Many die or become disabled due to thrombosis, cardiovascular disease, neurological problems, damage to vital organs such as the kidneys and pancreas,” says Giorgos Pavlakis. “In our society, there is a percentage of people with immune disorders that do not allow them to protect themselves with vaccines. These include transplant recipients, immunocompromised patients and cancer patients who need strong treatment. Our level of civilization should not allow society to ignore this part of our brethren, who are not only vulnerable to the virus, but represent a “golden opportunity” for the virus to quickly produce new strains that will elude the immune system. answer,” he says.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has been predicted that COVID-19 will gradually become a mild illness, such as the flu or the common cold. However, COVID-19 and influenza are caused by viruses that differ greatly both in properties and in pathogenetic mechanisms and mutation processes. They can cause the same number of deaths, but that’s probably where their similarities end. SARS-CoV-2 is likely to resemble the seasonal coronaviruses that commonly cause the common cold. But it is important to remember that even this is not entirely harmless. The spread of the common cold coronavirus in the emergency room a few years ago had the same mortality rates as SARS-CoV-2,” emphasizes Giorgos Kassiotis. “There are many factors that contribute to the weakening of the virus. The main ones include mutations that affect tropism and its pathogenicity, as well as population immunity from vaccination or disease. Both factors are reversible: the virus can change, and the immune system can weaken. This means that the balance established today is highly likely to be upset. It would be a mistake to allow this…”, continues the professor of retrovirology.

Mr. Pavlakis agrees: “Pathogenic viruses don’t go crazy in two or three years. The coronavirus has become more dangerous because we have given it the opportunity to infect billions of people, adapt to human society and become a permanent wound. Thus, for a large part of the world’s population, it will never turn into a cold or flu. It will continue to cause serious chronic damage, as it did with the polio and measles viruses, for which mankind fought long battles until they were no longer endemic. Endemic, after all, does not mean softness. This means that we have made a decision that we cannot do anything better … “.