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Vaccinating key to getting to 'safe place' in pandemic

August 6, 2021

Dr Wafaa El-Sadr, of Columbia University, says the country remains divided over getting vaccinated.

A US epidemiologist says in order to "get to safe place" in the Covid-19 pandemic, people need to "think beyond borders" and be vaccinated. 

"Not just within our own borders, but to think of the global community overall," Columbia University's Dr Waafa El-Sadr told Breakfast.

"I feel hopeful, but at the same time I’m very concerned," she said.

"I think there are several countries around the world, including ours and yours, that have the luxury of having the vaccines widely available.

"That’s not the case for many, many parts of the world ... If there’s Covid anywhere, there’s Covid everywhere."

Although the vaccine rollout in the US had improved under Biden, El-Sadr still described the situation as "quite tumultuous".

To date, the US has had about 35 million cases and 600,000 deaths. 

The "quite tumultuous" situation was due to "mistrust" of the vaccine in many parts of the country driving a surge in cases, she explained.

Where people were being vaccinated, El-Sadr said officials were seeing a "clear disconnect" between case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths, which was a "welcome change".

"So we have a long way ahead of us in the US, as well as elsewhere around the world, to convince people that the time is now to go and get vaccinated.

Dr Waafa El-Sadr.

"It’s not wise to sit and wait at this point in time until Covid comes knocking on your door. You need to take the initiative now and to seek getting the vaccine as soon as possible."

El-Sadr said the soon-to-be introduced "Key to NYC Pass" — requiring people to have received one vaccine dose or have a negative test result to enter indoor dining, entertainment and fitness — was a "good, safe practice". 

This was due to the fact a substantial part of the population in the city had not been vaccinated at all — about a third of adults were yet to receive a single dose.

"I think it’s wise in the context of this new surge being experienced in the US. The Delta variant and the substantial group which still remains to be vaccinated..."

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