Unfortunately, we will not be able to get rid of the coronavirus by 100%.
But we can control the rate of its spread and even prevent the emergence of new strains.
But this is in theory, in reality everything is not so simple.
In theory, all of us - all countries, all people - could unite, taking into account the experience of each other, rally against a disease that does not spare anyone, does not choose between the poor and the rich, evil and kind, she does not choose whom to infect, and by color skin, eye shape, values, political views, the language a person speaks.
The coronavirus takes the lives of loved ones and, in many cases, leaves its mark in the form of deteriorating health for the rest of your life.
If two years ago COVID-19 was a virus that harshly mowed down the older generation, now in the intensive care units of the "red zone" are not even young people, but minors.
This is the reality.
A spokesman for the German Ministry of Health said that Germany is not ready to consider the option of using or studying Russian developments for booster (that is, maintenance) vaccination.
Although earlier the head of the German Ministry of Health Karl Lauterbach noted that now it is the revaccination process that is in the first place in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in the country and they are ready to buy vaccines, but ... from other countries.
So, at the beginning of next, in 2022, Germany expects the delivery of 80 million doses of BioNTech-Pfizer through the European Union, and in parallel negotiations are underway with Poland, Portugal and Bulgaria.
But for nothing and not with Russia.
All these processes are taking place against the backdrop of disputes that Germany is retaining some of the vaccines due to the imminent expiration of the second drug, which is widespread there, Moderna.
And the continued growth of the number of people infected with coronavirus.
So there is no talk of any kind of unification against a common enemy.
With the emergence of new mutations of the coronavirus and the planned seasonality of outbreaks of infections, booster vaccination becomes a necessary measure to maintain a high titer of antibodies and the ability of immunity to fight COVID-19.
Those who received only the first two drugs became helpless in the face of the emerging strains.
For each new wave in many countries, there is now a new wave of revaccination.
For example, in Israel, it was the third injection that became salvation for many.
In addition, it was there that the introduced "green passports" with QR codes in October were canceled if a person was vaccinated with two doses more than six months ago.
And now the process of national vaccination of children from five to 11 years old has begun at all.
It is interesting that even if Germany, as it claims, is ready for future challenges and has a sufficient amount of the drug for prophylaxis against coronavirus for everyone who wants to be vaccinated, then now, after the appearance of the omicron variant, they need to be calculated not by two vaccinations per person, but three (where the supporting, booster one is done three months after the second), or even four soon - this is exactly what the head of that BioNTech recommends.
These are incredible numbers.
Even if we do not take into account the "bottles" to be disposed of due to a disturbed storage regime or an expired period, then for a booster vaccination with 26 million people in Germany who have already undergone revaccination, it will take the same amount to vaccinate with the third component those who already fully vaccinated (58.4 million), and then another to vaccinate and the fourth component.
And that's all in the next three months.
In the future, as the epidemiological situation improves, the Russian Ministry of Health promises to use the vaccine only once a year, but this is still a long way off.
In the meantime, in Russia, revaccination is recommended after six months, although the QR code is valid for all 12 months after the second dose.
And you need to rely on responsibility, independence and less obstinacy than the Germans.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.