“Djokovic, what a great tennis player and what a lousy example!”

Almost 40 years of experience as a public health professional, mainly in the areas of epidemiology and vaccines, endorse the president of the Spanish Association of Vaccinology (AEV), Amós García Rojas, (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 67 years old), who these days he does not get out of his astonishment with the ‘Djokovic case’. “I hope that people continue to estimate his game but not the rackets he has given to scientific logic,” settles the doctor, who insists on the benefits of vaccination. García Rojas, who is also head of Epidemiology of the Canary Health Service (although he should be retired), is a firm supporter of the vaccination certificate, also known as the ‘covid passport’.

– First of all, doctor, I have to ask you for a reflection: how does a vaccinologist see what is happening with Djokovic, opening all the news in the world, because of his refusal to be immunized and the repercussion that this has had.

–Djokovic, what a great tennis player and what a terrible example for the public! That a leading athlete like him for so many people has lied, that he has granted interviews without a mask being positive… his behavior leaves a lot to be desired. I hope that people continue to appreciate his game but not the blows he has given to scientific logic.

-Contagions in Spain are skyrocketing, we have already passed 8 million, but the effects are not being as serious on people’s health as in previous waves. Without vaccines, we would be talking about something much more serious…

-We are having a brutal accumulated incidence, we can almost say ruthless, but it is not accompanied in parallel by a number of people with complicated conditions, and this is fundamentally due to the vaccines. They are exercising their function, which is to prevent these conditions from worsening or complicating. It is also true, although it will have to be verified with more knowledge, that the omicron variant is giving rise to milder symptoms, but even so, the fact that severe cases are much more modulated is thanks to vaccination.

–Are you concerned that the percentage of those vaccinated with the booster dose is still low among those under 60 years of age?

-The authorities decided to administer a booster dose in age groups under 60 years of age and the fact that there are still people who have not accessed that booster dose leads us to think that we must insist on the need for comply with the instructions given by health officials.

– How do you see that the booster dose for those over 18 has already been approved?

–It is in line with what is being recommended throughout Europe. It is true that from the point of view of immunology, perhaps from an individual perspective, it does not make much sense, but in the context of contagion in which we are, it is a collective indication of public health aimed at the entire population. That is why it does make sense, because of the terrible burden of disease that we are having right now.

both hands

-With what we have seen so far… there are still people who do not want to be vaccinated and who do not want to vaccinate their children for fear… what do you tell them?

-I believe that the fundamental message that we have to give to people who have not yet gone to be vaccinated or who have doubts is that they reflect on the reality we are experiencing. We are talking about the most terrible health crisis that has occurred in recent times worldwide and, on the other hand, we are talking about a product that is avoiding the most serious and complicated forms of this process with which we are living. Not making use of this instrument is illogical. If we understand that in my left hand I have five million dead that this disease has given rise to in the world, and in my right hand I have the few, rare and generally mild secondary effects that vaccines have, which hand would they keep?

-What do you think about the period of four weeks after the infection so that the infected people receive the booster dose? Some experts claim that there is no scientific criterion for that term…

–There may not be solid scientific evidence in this regard, but there is also no solid scientific evidence contrary to this decision. I believe that this decision has been made because the role of duration of the protective response that is achieved with natural immunity linked to the omicron variant is not well defined, and in this sense with the intense circulation of the virus that is taking place at the moment , the recommendation that has been given is to vaccinate at four weeks because the duration of the protective response of the vaccine against the omicron variant is known.

-And the last doctor, how do you assess that the word of the year 2021 has been ‘vaccine’?

–It is in line with what vaccines have meant in this health crisis. During 2021 what we have done is try to have the necessary vaccines and try to administer them, and all this effort has crystallized in that we have a more favorable situation in terms of serious cases of the disease. It is logical that it is the word of the year because we have not done anything but vaccinate, vaccinate and vaccinate.