Professor Panagis Galiatsatos, a professor of pulmonary medicine and critical care at Johns Hopkins, has projected that the COVID-19 pandemic will last another 6-8 months, but once it ends the virus will remain with us.

“We have the vaccine, therapies, and medicines from Merck and Pfizer, so I believe that the pandemic will leave in 6-8 months,” he told SKAI television in an interview. Still, he said the virus will remain in certain parts of the world.

Galiatsatos stresses that the vaccine is of the utmost importance, and that along with all other means of self-protection it will be the key for the pandemic to end.

“We must be vaccinated so that our bodies can be “smarter” in dealing with the virus. That way will be prepared to confront the danger, and when that is combined with the use of masks the pandemic will leave,” he said.

“I see patients who want to live and humankind will win because we have the answer to the virus.”

As for stepping up the pace of Greece’s vaccine rollout, Galiatsatos said that doctors must win people’s trust so that they may go en masse to vaccination centres.

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