In light of current events, it is extremely difficult to assess whether the profession will even be able to continue to successfully manage the coronavirus epidemic. Despite the extremely difficult situations in the first and second waves of the epidemic, the media, the opposition, and the deniers of the virus have always wanted to create the feeling that the measures are not effective or that the government is creating confusion with numerous decrees. On the other hand, the opposition and the media are also helping create this belief with various campaigns, causing confusion themselves – first, they were against the measures, and then they blamed the government for the deaths, as it had not adopted the measures. Professor and member of the SD party, Dr. Brigita Skela Savič, is doing the same thing by writing about “sparing the children” when it comes to wearing masks in schools. With this, the SD party is opposing the measures of the experts for the second time now, causing confusion and distrust in the key preventive measures adopted in order to stop the spread of infections.
Full professor at the Faculty of Health Care, Dr. Brigita Skela Savič, joined the Social Democrats in 2018 and is a persistent advocate for public health. She also works as a member of the executive board of The Silver Thread (Srebrna nit) association and has been persistently warning about the unsustainable situation in the field of family medicine, describing private healthcare as harmful to public healthcare.
During the pandemic, the doctor wrote some harsh words against the current government’s measures adopted to curb the spread of the epidemic. For example, a few days ago, she emphasised that children should be spared and allowed to attend school without masks, and among other things, she also expressed doubts regarding the success of the introduction of the condition of people being tested, vaccinated, or having recovered from covid, in order to attend certain events. “There is no randomised research which would confirm that mask wearing in schools helped control the epidemic. Let’s spare the schoolchildren. In addition to what we say, we also express ourselves with our whole body, including facial expressions,” Skela Savič wrote on Twitter. It should be pointed out that it was precisely the SD party that already called for not wearing masks in schools as early as September last year but refused to take responsibility for the consequential exponential increase in infections and decided to instead blame the deaths on Janez Janša.
The research is clear: masks are essential in order to control the epidemic!
Similar to what we are already used to when it comes to the SD party, only a day later, in her column for the Necenzurirano (Uncensored) web portal, Skela Savič emphasised the opposite: “If we want the elderly to suffer as little damage as possible in the coming wave, all measures must work, including for the kindergartens and schools, the economy, public administration and the social sectors.” From her article, it is clear that she supports measures in schools and kindergartens, where children should continue to wear masks due to the current epidemiological situation. She also expressed concern about the upcoming fourth wave of the epidemic and drew attention to staffing shortages in healthcare and social services, as well as highlighted the additional measures that should be adopted in order to assure appropriate care for the elderly in nursing homes, in view of the critical situation in the first and second waves of the epidemic.
Ahead of the upcoming school years, she also warned, among other things, that adequate ventilation should be provided in schools and homes for the elderly. As a professor, Skela Savič herself does not want to continue with distance learning for another school year. “Get vaccinated; we have had enough of Zoom,” she pointed out. She also emphasised that we have not yet achieved the appropriate vaccination rates of employees in social welfare institutions, healthcare, and the entire population.
However, none of the critics and health professionals have so far pointed out what could happen to the children whose parents will demand that only the teachers who are vaccinated teach their children. The state cannot demand compulsory vaccination from teachers or does not want to do so for the time being, as an immediate revolt from the unions would likely follow. Parents on social networks are already warning that they will obviously have to act on their own in this case: “If the state does not know how to demand what is right, us parents can do it on our own. And I have no doubt that this will happen somewhere.”
Opponents of vaccination and measures have caused distrust in vaccines, and the experts
Skela Savič is one of the few people who, in contrast to the many anti-vaxxers, supports vaccination. She blames the Janša government for the insufficient vaccination rates, as, just like the majority of members of the SD party, she also does not support his policies. “The delta wave is coming. Communication with citizens is at a very low point; it consists of threats, disproportionate measures, and lots of exceptions. There is NO working strategy, so there is no vaccination and NO proper preparation for the new wave!” she wrote. What all those who are critical of Janša have in common, though, is that they have completely forgotten what damage the opponents of the measures against covid-19 and vaccination have left in the media, which resulted in citizens falling for conspiracy theories.
Sara Rančigaj
