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A covid vaccination center in Mexico City. Given the economic impact of the pandemic in Latin America, mass immunization is considered the indispensable step to the recovery of productive activities. Credit: Emilio Godoy / IPS

By Emilio Godoy
MEXICO CITY, May 29 2021 (IPS)

Hit by the pandemic’s socioeconomic and health impacts, Latin America is facing the challenge of financing an economic recovery based on a sustainable energy sector and a transition to clean sources of energy.

Most of the region have embarked on disbursements to alleviate these consequences, but these resources seem to be insufficient and are aimed at rescuing the hydrocarbon industry, in spite of its environmental connotations.

During his participation this Friday 28th in the XXX La Jolla Energy Conference, the Uruguayan Alfonso Blanco, Latin American Energy Organization’s (Olade) executive secretary, reminded that the region was already in a precarious financial position due to the weakness of its fiscal revenues.

The region is debating between contracting more foreign debt and levying more taxes, but cases such as the failed tax reform in Colombia, which sparked protests at the end of April, exemplify the consequences of changes that punish the middle and lower classes and ignore big capital

The meeting was held virtually, due to covid-19, between May 7 and Friday 28, organized by the non-governmental Institute of the Americas (IA), based in the coastal city of La Jolla, California.

“In the recovery, the role of energy transition is important to create more and better jobs in the region. Accelerating the energy transition will have a major impact on the economic situation, it is the role of green recovery in the immediate future. The transition is part of the decarbonization strategy to achieve the environmental objectives of the international negotiations,” Blanco told IPS.

Following the outbreak of the pandemic in the region, Olade initiated a dialogue with energy ministers and other multilateral agencies to support governments for a post-pandemic recovery.

With more than half a million deaths and an economic contraction of 7.4 percent in 2020, the region has been the hardest hit in the world by covid, which has had repercussions not only on health, but also on employment, infrastructure and the economy as a whole, as highlighted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In some countries, the blow was more severe, due to the decline in revenues from the production and export of hydrocarbons, such as oil and gas, due to the paralysis of global activities and the consequent drop in consumption.

And although the regional economy is already showing a rebound in 2021, the after-effects of the crisis will have a prolonged outcome, such as an increase in poverty.

The region is debating between contracting more foreign debt and levying more taxes, but cases such as the failed tax reform in Colombia, which sparked protests at the end of April, exemplify the consequences of changes that punish the middle and lower classes and ignore big capital.

Regional governments recognized the importance of sustainable recovery as early as October 2020, during the 38th session, also digital, of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). But this strategy is far from the measures implemented.

 

Looking for money

José Luis Manzano, the private fund Integra Capital’s director, said during the last day of the XXX Conference that “the tools the world has are multinationals, multilateral organizations and national development agencies. Money will come to the region, but we have to create competition.

The Argentine businessman suggested “turning to” Joe Biden’s government in the United States so that its policy of billionaire public investment “Build Back Better” expands to the south, beyond its borders, in an action that would have mutual benefits, and in a region in dispute with China -which in the last decade has sent public and private companies to invest in the area-.

In recent years, Latin America has made progress with wind and solar alternatives, but faces the challenge of reducing the burning of fossil fuels in the industry, transportation and improving energy efficiency.

This transition has come to a halt in countries such as Argentina and Mexico, which favor support for hydrocarbons, and Brazil, which promotes the gas industry.

In fact, data from the intergovernmental Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the non-governmental International Institute for Sustainable Development agree that energy measures are far from sustainable.

Countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Peru apply unsustainable policies. In a recent episode, state-owned Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) announced on May 24th the purchase of 50 percent-stake of the Deer Park refinery, in the U.S. state of Texas, from the Anglo-Dutch firm Shell for 600 million dollars, to assume its total ownership.

The benefits of sustainable recovery and pursuing zero net emissions by 2050 are impressive, particularly in the context of the pandemic.

The region could achieve annual savings of 621 billion dollars by 2050 if the region’s energy and transport sectors achieve net zero emissions, which would also create 7.7 million new permanent jobs, according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

In this regard, Stéphane Hallegatte, lead economist of the World Bank’s Climate Change Group, highlighted the building of resilience to covid-19 and assured that it is still “early” to say whether the recommendations will be implemented.

“All the mechanisms that have been applied can help in the future if we maintain them. We can get out of the crisis that way and build resilience,” he told IPS during the “Innovate for Climate” virtual meeting.

“Governments can play a role in helping to create jobs and public investment,” Hallegatte stressed, during the meeting sponsored by the multilateral institution and which analyzed climate actions between Tuesday, May 25th, and Thursday, May 27th.

 

Green options

Innovative though still under-deployed, green bonds can serve for a partial recovery financing.

“There has been a lot of progress in green bonds. There is a lot of interest in Chile and some national development banks,” said Gema Sacristan, head of investments at Invest IDB, the IDB’s private financing arm, during the XXX La Jolla Energy Conference.

Green bonds are instruments to obtain exclusive financing for projects such as renewable energy, sustainable construction, energy efficiency, clean transportation, water, waste management and agriculture.

Between 2014 and 2021, the region sold more than 20 billion dollars in green bonds, led by Brazil and Mexico, with most sales occurring in the last two years.

From Olade’s headquarters in Quito, Blanco expressed his optimism regarding the economic recovery and job creation, but stressed that “better and more modern regulations are needed, focused on sustainable recovery. We have to incorporate new technologies and energies”.

 

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In Brazil, the main agricultural products responsible for deforestation are beef and soybeans. Copyright: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil, under Creative Commons 3.0

By Washington Castilhos
RIO DE JANEIRO, May 28 2021 (IPS)

Deforestation in Latin America and the Caribbean accounts for 44 per cent of the global loss of tropical forests, with most of the conversion to agricultural land being carried out illegally, concludes a study by the non-profit organisation Forest Trends.

According to the report, the planet lost 77 million hectares of tropical forests between 2013 and 2019 in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa, of which 60 per cent — 46.1 million hectares — was driven by commercial agriculture. At least 69 per cent of this “agro-conversion — forest clearing for agricultural purposes — was carried out in violation of national laws and regulations, it says.

Unlawful clearing for the production of commodities such as beef, soybeans and palm oil accounted for the destruction of at least 31.7 million hectares of the world’s rainforests during the last seven years, the report says.

Ecologist Arthur Blundell, lead co-author of the report, said: “We don’t need to clear more forests in order to grow food. People need to understand the role of commercial agriculture in driving illegal deforestation, and how important tropical forests are.”

“We don’t need to clear more forests in order to grow food. People need to understand the role of commercial agriculture in driving illegal deforestation, and how important tropical forests are”
Arthur Blundell
Based on data from 23 countries, the study estimates that deforestation in Latin America and the Caribbean represents 44 per cent of all forest loss across the tropics, with 77 per cent of this loss resulting from commercial agriculture.

In Asia, forest losses represented 31 per cent of the total, 76 per cent of which was caused by agribusiness.

Africa’s tropical forest loss represented 25 per cent of the global total, but commercial agriculture only accounted for 10 per cent of illegal deforestation, with subsistence agriculture being the main driver.

Many countries, however, fail to report data about illegal deforestation, and reliable country data is scarce, researchers noted.

 

Economic drivers

Geographer Eraldo Matricardi, associate professor at the University of Brasilia (UnB), who did not take part in the study, said: “Unfortunately, the forest is not yet considered as something viable, hence the interest in deforesting to make it productive. Agribusiness, in turn, has economic viability and high incentives from a financial point of view.”

Researchers accept that some deforestation for both commercial and subsistence agriculture is necessary for social and economic reasons.

However, Matricardi, an expert in land use changes, explains that while legal deforestation follows set limits and technical criteria, “for illegal deforestation there is a lack of criteria”.

The degree of unlawful deforestation varied widely between regions. In Latin America, 88 per cent of agro-conversion was conducted in violation of national laws and regulations, while in Africa the figure was 66 per cent, and in Asia, 41 per cent.

According to the report, 81 per cent of clearing for Indonesia’s palm oil — the country’s main export commodity — is estimated to be illegal.

In Brazil, where the major agricultural commodities responsible for deforestation are beef and soy, pasture for cattle grazing drove 74 per cent of forest loss while soy drove 20 per cent, the report says.

Besides soy, palm oil, and cattle products (beef and leather), other commodities, such as cocoa, rubber, coffee, and maize, are also cited as leading causes of illegal deforestation.

Researchers highlight the responsibility of consumers in the United States, China and EU, the main importers of these commodities.

“Producers of agricultural commodities need to reinforce their laws and stop illegal deforestation, but consumers internationally also have a role,” said Blundell. “They need to make sure that what they buy is not linked to forest loss. If you’re buying something from Brazil, for example, there is so much evidence it may be coming from deforestation.”

 

Climate change and corruption

The authors point out, however, that illegality goes hand in hand with corrupt government systems, especially in Brazil and Indonesia.

In Brazil, illegality includes “impunity for deforestation in legal reserves and areas of permanent preservation, amnesty for land seizures, and the accelerated dismantling of environmental protections, since Jair Bolsonaro came to power”, the report states.

Looking at the role forest clearing had in climate change, the report shows that emissions from illegal agro-conversion account for more than 2.7 gigatons of CO2 per year — more than India’s emissions from fossil fuels in 2018.

“We cannot address climate change unless we address illegal deforestation, and we cannot address illegal deforestation without addressing commercial food,” concluded Blundell.

This story was originally published by SciDev.Net

Major Steplyne Buyaki Nyaboga of Kenya was named the UN 2020 Military Gender Advocate of the Year.

By Alison Kentish
UNITED NATIONS, May 28 2021 (IPS)

Major Steplyne Buyaki Nyaboga of Kenya singles out the establishment of gender-responsive military patrols in farming communities in Central Darfur, Sudan as one of the proudest moments of her two-year mission with the African Union–United Nations Hybrid Operation (UNAMID).

Before these patrols, displaced women farmers expressed crippling safety concerns over getting to their farms, which hindered their ability to provide for their families.

The patrols brought security and peace to the women – hallmarks of the UN Security Council’s resolution 1325 of 2000, which recognises the unique impact of armed conflict on women and girls.

They also represent the type of action for which Nyaboga has been named the UN 2020 Military Gender Advocate of the Year.

The award, bestowed annually since 2016, recognises the “dedication and effort of an individual peacekeeper in promoting the principles of women, peace and security”.

In a video message, she said she was receiving the prestigious accolade with “great humility and unprecedented joy.”

“With this award, I receive a high commendation to continue championing the ideals of the women, peace and security agenda, as anchored in the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325,” Nyaboga said.

She is the first Kenyan peacekeeper to receive the UN award.

Representatives of her country’s Defence Ministry congratulated her on her achievement, stating that “she performed in an exemplary manner” making all Kenyans, particularly women, proud.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres commended Nyaboga for her commitment to making life better for women who suffered greatly during Sudan’s armed conflict. He told the virtual award ceremony on May 27 that women who endured forced displacement, sexual violence and political marginalisation found their voices and an advocate in the Kenyan Peacekeeper.

“Through her efforts, Major Nyaboga introduced new perspectives and increased awareness of crucial issues affecting women and children across the Mission and helped strengthen our engagement with local communities,” he said, adding that “she organised campaigns and workshops aimed at addressing issues that affect Darfuri women.”

Nyaboga was also recognised for training the mission’s military contingent on issues such as sexual and gender-based violence.

“This helped our peacekeepers better understand the needs of women, men, girls and boys, and strengthened the mission’s bond with local communities. Her enthusiastic hands-on approach made a profound difference for her colleagues and for the people of Darfur. Her efforts, commitment and passion represent an example for us all,” the Secretary-General said.

The award ceremony is held annually on May 27th, the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. It is also the day when peacekeepers who lost their lives the previous year, are recognised for their service to the organisation. 

This year, 129 military, police and civilian peacekeepers were awarded posthumously with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal. They came from 44 countries and died while serving the UN in 2020 and January 2021. The award is named after a former UN Secretary-General, who also died in service. He was involved in a plane crash during peace negotiations in the Congo.

According to the UN, some of the 129 fallen peacekeepers honoured this week died as a result of malicious acts, others in accidents, while some succumbed to illness – including COVID-19.

Their deaths bring to 4,000, the number of women and men who have lost their lives since 1948 while serving the UN.

Secretary-General Guterres told the ceremony that peacekeepers continue to face ‘immense’ challenges and threats.

“They work hard every day to protect some of the world’s most vulnerable, while facing the dual threats of violence and a global pandemic,” he said.

“Despite COVID-19, across all our missions, peacekeepers have not only been adapting to continue to deliver their core tasks, they are also assisting national and community efforts to fight the virus. I am proud of the work they have done.”

UN Peacekeeper’s Day was observed this year under the theme “The road to a lasting peace: Leveraging the power of youth for peace and security.” 

It focuses on the importance of youth contribution to the UN agenda and the important role of young people in peace efforts, globally.

“From CAR to DRC to Lebanon, our peacekeepers work with youth to reduce violence and sustain peace, including through Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration and Community violence reduction programs,” the Secretary-General said.

As the international organisation honours the men and women of its peacekeeping missions, the UN Chief said the world must remember them and be grateful for their bravery, commitment, service and sacrifice.

 

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Excerpt:

Major Steplyne Buyaki Nyaboga of Kenya has been named the UN 2020 Military Gender Advocate of the Year. Bestowed annually since 2016, the award recognises an outstanding peacekeeper whose work contributed to the promotion of women, peace and security.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas asks for forgiveness for atrocities and announces financial support deal.

By Alison Kentish
UNITED NATIONS, May 28 2021 (IPS)

On the occasion of World Environment Day, 5 June 2021, drawing from IPS’s bank of features and opinion editorials published this year, we are re-publishing one article a day, for the next two weeks.

The original article was published on April 28 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated deforestation pressures and heightened the urgency of action to support sustainable forest management. The pandemic has the brought the importance of forests to global well-being into sharp focus. Pictured here forest in the Dominican Republic. Credit: Alison Kentish/IPS

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 28 2021 (IPS) – A new global report on forests says that while the COVID-19 pandemic is the latest threat to achieving ambitious forest protection goals, it has brought the importance of forests to global well-being into sharp focus, and that this recognition must now be met with collection action.

The inaugural Global Forest Goals Report was launched on Apr. 26, as part of the 16th United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) session which runs until the end of this week. It is based on data and information submitted by 52 member states, representing 75 percent of the world’s forests.

The report concluded that while countries have taken action to protect their forests, those efforts must be accelerated to achieve ambitious global goals.

It tracks the progress of countries in meeting the ambitious goals set out in the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2030. Under that plan, countries vowed to accelerate the pace of forest protection by upgrading an initial focus on achieving net-zero deforestation to increasing global forest area by three percent by 2030 and eradicating extreme poverty for all forest-dependent people.

While it acknowledged the work done by countries in areas such as poverty reduction for forest-dependent people, initiatives to increase forest financing and cooperation on sustainable forest management, it stated that there is a lot more to be done. Noting that Africa and South America lost forest cover during the reporting period, the publication stated that forests remain under threat.

“Every year, seven million hectares of natural forests are converted to other land uses such as large-scale commercial agriculture and other economic activities. And although the global rate of deforestation has slowed over the past decade, we continue to lose forests in the tropics – largely due to human and natural causes,” it stated.

United National Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed said the report is being launched at a crucial time for the world’s forests.

The report cites growing concern by some countries that the economic fallout from the pandemic will lead to reduced donor funding for forests. It states that Africa, the Asia-Pacific Region and some countries in Latin America are facing dwindling forest financing, as scarce public funds are being prioritised on immediate public health needs.

Mohammed said while the COVID-19 crisis has dealt a blow to poverty alleviation and sustainable development goals, it is presenting an opportunity to make peace with nature through a green recovery, with healthy forests as a solid foundation.

“We are at a make or break moment. 2021 provides us a unique opportunity to halt the rapid loss of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation, while addressing the climate emergency and desertification and making our food systems more sustainable, with the sustainable development goals as our guide,” the deputy UN chief said.

UNFF Secretariat’s Officer-in-Charge Alexander Trepelkov presented a note on COVID-19’s impact on forests and the forest sector. It concluded that the pandemic has aggravated hardships for forest-dependent people and exposed systemic gaps and vulnerabilities.

It called for the integration of forest-based solutions into pandemic recovery, accelerated implementation of international forest-related targets and adequate resources for forestry.

Meanwhile, on the fringes of the event, a group of 15 international organisations launched a joint statement on the challenges and opportunities involved in halting deforestation. The Collaborative Partnership on Forests event was chaired by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Director of the FAO’s Forestry Division Mette Wilkie told IPS that as ecosystems that are home to the vast majority of land biodiversity and 75 percent of freshwater, without forests, climate goals cannot be met.

“Forests also provide numerous products for everyday life – from the traditional use of wood to the masks, gloves and hand sanitisers that we all use during the current COVID-19 pandemic. They provide more than 86 million green jobs and support the livelihoods of many more people worldwide,” Wilkie said.

“As we increasingly encroach on forests and wildlife habitats to expand agricultural production, settlements and infrastructure, the risk of diseases spilling over from animals to people rises exponentially. It is evident that we cannot achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the future we want unless we halt deforestation and forest degradation and increase our efforts to protect, manage and restore our forests.”

Wilkie, who chairs the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, told IPS that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated deforestation pressures and heightened the urgency of action to support sustainable forest management.

“Lockdowns have led to disruptions in markets and supply chains and caused job losses, triggering reverse migration into rural areas and increasing pressure on forests to provide subsistence livelihoods,” she said, adding that, “on the other hand, investing in forest restoration and the sustainable management of forests can create green jobs and livelihoods, and at the same time create habits for biodiversity and mitigate – and adapt to – climate change.”

 

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A health worker prepares to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to her colleague at a hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia.In a video message on May 24 to the World Health Assembly , the decision-making body of UN agency WHO, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned against the dangers of “a two-speed global response”, a concern he has frequently expressed. “Sadly, unless we act now, we face a situation in which rich countries vaccinate the majority of their people and open their economies, while the virus continues to cause deep suffering by circling and mutating in the poorest countries,” he said. Credit: UNICEF/Ismail Taxta

By Sunil J. Wimalawansa
NEW JERSEY, USA, May 28 2021 (IPS)

Despite claims by the industry and some politicians, there are no clinically meaningful differences among the variety of vaccines approved under emergency use authorisation (EUA).

There are no significant differences in effectiveness between individual vaccines of different types: mRNA vaccines (e.g., Pfizer and Moderna), adenovirus vector vaccines (e.g., AZN, J&J, and Sputnik V) and inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccines (e.g., Sinovac and Valneva) in preventing severe complications and deaths.

If there is no contra-indication or a fundamental reason or belief for not vaccinating, considering the urgency, individuals should take the vaccine provided to them.

Efficacy of COVID vaccines:

As per global data, the COVID-19-related complication among the adult population needing hospitalisation is approximately 14%. As defined by preventing hospitalisation and deaths, the reported efficacy of mRNA vaccines is ~94%.

Therefore, the average efficacy of all COVID vaccines is approximately 90% (0.86/0.94 x 100). Nevertheless, none of these vaccines entirely prevents infection, transmission, lasting harm, or death.

The rate of complications can be significantly reduced by vitamin D supplementation before infection or at the time of hospitalisation (Mercola 2020; Wimalawansa, 2020) [vitamin D3 and ivermectin; latter also increases serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration].

Most hospitalised COVID-19 patients have 25(OH)D levels less than 20 ng/mL, whilst the vast majority who died from COVID had levels below 10 ng/mL. It is noteworthy that over 50 ng/mL is required for the proper operation of autocrine (inside each cell) and paracrine (nearby cells) signalling and functions of immune cells.

These are required for rapid and well-regulated immune responses to combat pathogens. In the absence, people develop complications.

Types of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines:

mRNA vaccines for other diseases have never deployed for humans outside clinical trials. SARS-CoV-2 produces intense immune responses because the insertions within the micro-lipid particles allow generating large amounts of a portion of the viral spike protein. The human immune system attacks and eliminates these foreign proteins.

Spike proteins have a high affinity for ACE2 receptor protein located on human epithelial cell membranes in the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, blood vessels, etc. Due to sequence similarities of ACE2 and ACE2-SARS.CoV-2 complexes, antibodies generated against spike proteins could harm normal cells in the presence of an incompetent immune system.

Why are some developing complications, others are not?

Following natural infection and vaccination, different types of antibodies produced by immune cells. Some of these could cross-react with the ACE2 receptor protein. Vitamin D is critical for the proper functioning of the immune system. Vitamin D deficiency weakens innate and adaptive responses and allows harmful hyper-inflammatory (cytokine-storm) responses.

Therefore, people with weakened immune systems have a higher risk of antigenic cross-reactivity, generating autoimmune reactions, and auto-antibodies formation, increasing the risks of complications from SARS.CoV-2 (e.g., cytokine-storm and deaths).

Inactivated viral vaccines are used less in Western nations, despite the advantages of generating broader immune responses against the nucleocapsid protein and the spike protein. In contrast, the mRNA and adenoviral vector vaccines present only a portion of the spike proteins antigen to the immune system.

Therefore, antibodies generated by mRNA vaccines have a narrow specificity, which could be a disadvantage in the long run.

The efficacy of the groups of vaccines cannot be compared:

The conditions and the timing of the vaccine trials conducted were vastly different. No head-to-head comparative RCTs performed to compare mRNA or adenovirus vector vaccines against traditional inactivated viral vaccines, whose safety is better understood.

Heavy promotion, particularly by big investors and governments, of mRNA and viral vector vaccines companies are driven by the patents-based, higher profits of novel mechanisms. Despite claims by companies, pundits, and mass media, the efficacy of mRNA and viral vector vaccines cannot be assumed to be superior to those of traditional inactivated virus vaccines.

Vaccine RCTs conducted under differing conditions:

Obtaining approval for the mRNA vaccines for RCTs and EUA were straightforward. These RCTs were conducted in the USA during the summer and fall of 2020, before the emergence of COVID-19 variants. A few of these variants evolved mutant spike proteins with much greater affinity for the ACE2 receptor to facilitate their entrance into our cells.

As the vaccination program expands, variants continue to evolve, including double (e.g., Indian variant) and multi-mutants to evade immunity. Mutations generate differing spike-proteins sequences (A) to overcome recognition by antibodies and killer cells, and (B) to increase the infectiousness. The risks of such mutations are higher following mRNA and viral vector vaccines.

mRNA vaccine trials during summer and fall involved people having higher average vitamin D concentrations with fewer severe symptoms. In contrast, the viral vector vaccines and inactivated viral vaccines took longer to obtain EUAs due to complexities requiring multiple approvals.

These RCTs mainly were conducted outside the USA during fall and winter, after the emergence of multiple variants and when COVID-19 prevalence rose again.

Efficacy vs. adverse effects of vaccines:

There is no question about the benefits of COVID-vaccines in adults. Given the different nature of the RCTs and rushed deployments, there is insufficient comparable data to conclude that one vaccine is more effective than another.

Besides, incomplete reports and analysis of adverse reactions are a concern, especially potential longer-term adverse effects. For those who have mild to moderate risk of harm from COVID-19, such as children, these poorly characterised risks must be considered more carefully in the context of limited individual benefits of vaccination.

Ill-effects of vaccines are the subject of ongoing research and controversy, and therefore, dialogue should be allowed with the freedom of speech. Instead, such discussions are suppressed and maligned: administrators remove posts from social media sites on the pretext of reducing public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.

People should be provided facts: they have the right to know the pros and cons and make their own decision. In addition to vitamin D deficiency, emerging data suggest ill-effects are specific to a particular vaccine group and, perhaps, underlying vulnerability and individual characteristics, such as sex and age.

Uncertainties of vaccines and duration of effectiveness:

Despite unfounded assertions by vaccine manufacturers and certain administrators in higher positions, claims of up to five-year duration of immunity after vaccination, are sheer speculation.

The duration of immunity from natural infection and COVID vaccines is uncertain. However, by extrapolating from the SARS experience, post-vaccination immunity may last no more than 18 months, which will impede developing global herd immunity.

Vitamin D sufficiency synergises vaccines benefits:

The most beneficial aspect of vaccines and vitamin D sufficiency is preventing hospitalisation, complications needing oxygen and ICU use, and deaths. Therefore, as with vitamin D sufficiency, vaccinations should also prevent the post-COVID syndrome, also known as ‘long COVID,’ which is a misnomer.

Post-COVID-19 syndrome primarily arises in the central nervous system or other locations where the SARS-CoV-2 virus can escape from incomplete immune responses, especially in those with severe vitamin D deficiency and, thus, having a less robust immune system.

Vitamin D sufficiency prevents post-COVID syndrome. Whether vaccines prevent post-COVID-19 syndrome remains to be seen, but it is optimistic.

*Sunil J. Wimalawansa, MD, PhD, MBA, DSc, is Professor of Medicine, Endocrinology & Nutrition, Director CardioMetabolic Institute, USA suniljw@hotmail.com

 

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