"Most likely, 90%-95% of people in Latvia now have antibodies against Covid-19. So almost everyone has either recovered, vaccinated, or both. And, of course, with such a level of immunity, even if the Delta returned now and there was a Delta wave, we would not see such a terrible scene as we experienced in October and November 2021, when a lockdown was needed if we wanted to prevent between 500 and 2000 deaths in that period," Trojanskis said.
There are three possible scenarios for Covid-19's spread in the fall. The seasonal outbreaks of Omicron infection, as in summer, are likely to be in October-November. Or a new type of the virus will appear, and depending on what it will be, vaccination could be offered either to the whole society or to any risk groups.
If this new variant was even more contagious, “I think it would be useful for the whole society to get vaccinated”, the epidemiologist said. And if this new type would lead to more hospitalization, “I think then policies on compulsory vaccination will also be needed”, said Trojanskis.
There is currently no reason to think that the second or third scenario is waiting, and one can hope for the first. Trojanskis said that people aged 50 and over would be advised to receive a second booster vaccine, the modified one which would protect from the Omicron better.
