Dr Jose Natalio Redondo, a leading Dominican physician in treating Covid-19 cases in the Dominican Republic, says Omicron could be good news for the Dominican Republic as it is likely to contribute to the country sooner than later reaching herd immunity. 65% of the population has two doses, 78% has at least one dose. The variant is entering when a large part of the population is vaccinated, he remarks in a short note on his Facebook page.
He explains that the strain is easily transmitted, that it replicates within the cell with great agility, and infects others at a speed not seen before. But he stresses: “It does not kill the host. What this virus does not know is that the more it infects others, the more it stimulates the immune system in the host, and therefore, the moment will come when the new strains or variants will be skillfully rejected and destroyed, when it wants to infect again.”
Dr. Redondo adds: “That is why I say that we seem to be entering the biological cycle of the virus that could be beneficial to the population. Simply because the more people are infected with this type of benign disease, even milder than the current outbreak of influenza, the more people will be adequately protected, in the perfect combination between vaccination and active disease.
“I see no reason, so far, to establish strict measures to limit the mobility of citizens. Now, the greatest contribution is to get vaccinated, to keep the use of masks when you are in a closed environment and with many people, and to respect the distance.”
Dr. Redondo’s statements coincide with comments made recently by Dr. Marty Makary, professor of health policy at Johns Hopkins University, explaining that while it spreads much faster, the new variant is more mild than other illnesses.
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28 December 2021