Omicron variant much more contagious than the Delta. “It has incubation times, doubling the number of subjects who are infected, therefore a markedly higher contagiousness than the Delta. According to some studies, it would even have an infectiousness of 5 times higher than the Delta“. The coordinator of the CTS Franco Locatelli said during the press conference at the end of the Council of Ministers.
“We must therefore protect ourselves – he continues – also because we have both the tools, the vaccines, and the evidence that clearly indicates that vaccines protect us from the risk of developing a serious disease. The booster dose increases vaccination efficacy, therefore protection, by 93% compared to serious disease and by 75% compared to the risk of getting infected “.
VACCINES
“If you make a comparison with respect to the same day last year, even in the face of a third of the number of infections that existed, the number of people who died was 3 times higher than that of people who still lose their lives . If today the number of deaths and hospitalizations in intensive care is two and a half times less, it is thanks to vaccines “. “Even with respect to the variante Omicron, in the UK we have very clear indications that the booster dose is able to confer protection. We must learn to value above all protection against the risk of developing serious disease, precisely because immunologically, vaccines above all stimulate the development of memory populations of our adaptive immunity – he explains – Today already 16.5 million of our compatriots have received the booster dose. . 70% of the over 80s received the booster dose: respectively 53%, 43%, 33% in the 70/79, 60/69, 50/59 bands. The Italians have understood the importance of the booster dose “.
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES
“Vaccines are the most efficient tool to prevent the development of serious disease. Let us not be under the illusion that certain therapeutic strategies such as monoclonal antibodies can give protection with respect to the Omicron variant: their effectiveness is markedly reduced. This is why it is so important to insist on the discourse of proposing in an incisive way both obviously the primary vaccination cycle for the residual portion of people who have not yet decided to undergo protective immunization against them and as regards adherence to the booster dose ” .
“Even the reasoning that every so often we hear that this Omicron variant would be characterized by a lower ability to induce serious pathology is in my opinion attributable to the protection conferred by vaccines, to the memory populations of our immune system – he continues – I repeat once again. ‘importance of vaccination and I make a heartfelt appeal that the number of subjects who undergo the primary vaccination cycle and the booster dose is ever higher “.