The head of the Lebanese Medical Association, Professor Sharaf Abu Sharf, stated that "the vaccines available in the global market against the coronavirus (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sputnik, and others) have significantly demonstrated their ability to mitigate the risk of severe illness in America and Europe, creating immunity in vaccinated individuals exceeding 90%. Additionally, the rate of hospitalizations and deaths has declined considerably."
In a statement today, Professor Abu Sharf emphasized that the arguments presented by opponents of the vaccine in the media are not based on scientific data and lack a therapeutic and scientific alternative, indicating that "there is no salvation for us except through the vaccine."
He explained that delaying vaccination will lead to new variants of the virus that may not be fully affected by the vaccine, potentially leading us to regrettable outcomes. He stressed the necessity of administering the vaccine as soon as possible to the largest number of people to achieve community immunity exceeding 80%, thereby reducing the number of patients, complications, and deaths, and gradually returning to our normal lives.
He concluded: "In the meantime, we must adhere to preventive measures, thanking the media for the awareness role it plays in this regard, and urging them not to publish any news about the vaccine except through specialists in the Medical Association, the National Committee for the Management of the Coronavirus Vaccine, and trusted scientific sources, in order to avoid chaos, confusion, and hesitation that could negatively impact the community, especially as we see a decline in the rates of severe infections in communities that have reached advanced stages of vaccination."
