The professor of Immunology, África González, is one of the experts who has followed the evolution of the pandemic from minute one and who has answered all the doubts of the population about mutations and vaccines.
Worried about omicron variants from China and the US?
You have to call for calm. The circulating variant is still omicron, with lineages and sublineages, but it remains the same. The US variant is a recombination of two omicron sublineages, is called XBB1.5 and has already reached other countries. It is very contagious, but it is not more virulent. As infections increased, hospitalizations in the US rose, but the peak is already coming down, and it has not shown much of a problem. With regard to China, it is logical that after the opening they have many cases, due to the large population, few well-immunized people (especially older people), little previous circulating virus, and ineffective vaccines. The other problem is to know the variants that circulate there, if they are sequencing enough… There is little information.
Will these variants end up being the majority in Spain?
It is possible that XBB1.5 could spread, although it seems to be going slower than it seemed, since it emerged in October in the US and we still have few cases. In Spain, the majority are BA4/BA5 lineages with the BQ1 sublineage according to the Ministry of Health.
Do previous vaccines and infections continue to protect us?
Yes, previous vaccinations and infections protect us from serious illness and death, but they do not prevent us from contagion, unfortunately. The good thing is that the variant that has been following for many months now is omicron.
Is it interesting that those under 60 get the fourth dose against covid?
Healthy people, without problems such as diabetes, immunosuppression, or advanced age, do not require additional reinforcement. Many of them surely, in addition to their three doses, have been in contact with omicron, and have some symptoms or even be asymptomatic, but maintain immune memory. They can develop a fairly mild illness for a few days, which is the time it takes for their immune memory to kick in, and within a few days, they’re cured. In most cases it is like a common cold.
Should we continue to wear masks on transport or require them again indoors?
Spain has been very conservative in this regard, compared to the rest of the European countries, and while we have to wear masks on planes, those of other companies do not request them. I think its use is appropriate in hospitals, health centers and public transport that does not have good ventilation. In any case, we should not leave everything to masks alone and an effort should be made to improve ventilation. For example in schools, institutes and universities, where the students will spend several hours. In other spaces, such as restaurants, it does not make much sense to enter with a mask and after a while remove it to eat or drink.
Did we forget about ventilation?
You cannot leave everything to the mask: it is not infallible, we do not put it on correctly, we do not change it frequently, and it is not adjusted as it should. It is much better to be in clean environments that renew the air frequently, with air filtration and renewal. I understand that the improvement in ventilation systems has a significant cost, but it is an investment that has implications for health, and not only now for the Covid pandemic, but also for other airborne viruses (influenza, respiratory syncytial virus), especially everything for the cold seasons, when we spend more time indoors.
