Young people at high risk due to Covid variants

The scientist Ligia Peralta calls to vaccinate the young population since some present serious complications that require admission to intensive care.

Santo Domingo, DR

The new variants of Covid-19 that are circulating are placing young people within the populations with a high risk of complications and death when infected with the virus and exposing entire families to contagion.

This was warned yesterday by Dominican scientist Ligia Peralta, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, and expert in Innovation in Global Public Health.

The specialist pointed out that after being infected with some of the new variants of the virus, many young people between 20 and 30 years of age are presenting severe complications, requiring admission to Intensive Care Units (ICU), and there are even deaths.

Exhortation
Peralta took advantage of being the guest of the “Cita con el Covid” of listíndiario.com to urge the authorities of the Dominican Republic to accelerate the vaccination process of the young population because no one is immune to the coronavirus “even if you are strong, even if you are young.”

La Cita con el Covid is broadcasted every Monday at 9:00 pm under the director of Listín Diario, Miguel Franjul, and the journalist Doris Pantaleón. Dr. Peralta pointed out that young people are the great carriers of the virus and cause contagion because they are more mobile.

“With the new strains it is very, very important that young people are vaccinated, because we are seeing that they have complications like any other patient, many end up in intensive care and even death,” she said. She said that if people continue to be massively vaccinated, the number of new variants of the virus will be reduced, and a better response can be achieved even if the disease is present. Hence the first vaccine available should be used to prevent the virus from multiplying, giving way to new waves.

Two doses
Dr. Peralta, who is also Co-Chair of the Latino Committee of the COVID-19 Prevention Coalition (COVID 19 Prevention Network) of the National Institute of Health of the United States and president of the Casa Ruben Foundation, was emphatic in highlighting the importance of vaccination and that people complete their two doses because the second dose specializes in creating specific antibodies against the virus.

“The greatest protection against the Covid-19 virus is the vaccine plus human behavior,” the specialist pointed out.

He said that the pandemic has had very rapid changes and that now in the United States, they are working to contain the waves of the virus and see how it changes from hospitalization to community care.

Worrying variants
He said that although there are more than 4,000 variants of the SARV-CoV-2 virus, so far, the ones of most concern are those in England, South Africa, Brazil, New York, and India, which is currently wreaking havoc in that country.

He explained that the New York variant has been very prevalent and that the important thing is that all vaccine producers are doing trials on the variants.

He said that the virus has changed and is no longer the same as the one that initially came out of China because the variants that have emerged are aggressive. He noted that the New York variant is significant because those most affected are immigrants who have less access to health care and live together in small apartments.

He explained that when unvaccinated and in people with weak immune systems, virus mutations occur more rapidly, so it is essential to vaccinate the general population.

Surveillance.
Peralta reminded me that the vaccines have all been approved on an emergency basis, which is why there is so much vigilance in the behavior of the vaccines.

Mayor.
He pointed out that it is well known that the risk that one runs when one has the virus is much greater than the effects that can be had from the vaccine, which are rare.

Effects.
He pointed out that a severe infection of the new coronavirus, Covid-19, in almost 50% of the people with some condition, can present clots in veins and arteries, leading to heart attacks and brain and lung damage.