2023-09-28 14:26:00
The new monovalent Covid-19 vaccine has arrived at Spallanzani in Rome, in the updated formulation for the XBB 1.5 variant of Sars-CoV-2 or ‘Kraken’. Rome’s INMI communicated this on Facebook. “The objective of the new vaccination campaign – explains Paolo Faccendini, director of the Pharmacy Unit of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases – is to prevent mortality, hospitalizations and serious forms of Covid-19 in elderly and highly frail people, and to protect pregnant women and healthcare workers. Vaccination is recommended for family members and cohabitants of people with serious frailties and can also be offered to those who do not fall into the risk categories, upon request and once availability has been assessed”.
“The new vaccines – recalls the expert – can be used as a booster, with a validity of 12 months. Administration is recommended 6 months after the last dose of vaccine or last infection. However, a shorter interval is permitted as long as it does not less than 3 months. The vaccines can also be administered to those who have never been vaccinated and it is important to underline that it is possible to administer them simultaneously with other vaccines, in particular with the flu”.
Local health authorities and hospitals ready for vaccine campaign
Health companies and hospitals ready to start with the vaccination campaign against Covid-19. “We are ready to implement the indications of the Government and regions for the anti-Covid-19 vaccination campaign with the aim of protecting the health of citizens. And we will start by doing our part, inviting companies to implement specific initiatives to promote active call for the vaccination of doctors, nurses and all staff working in hospitals and healthcare facilities”, announces the president of Fiaso, Giovanni Migliore, the day after the publication of the circular with “Indications and recommendations for the autumn vaccination campaign/ winter 2023-2024 anti Covid-19”, signed by the Prevention director of the Ministry of Health Francesco Vaia.
“The vaccine remains the most efficient weapon against Covid – Migliore underlines – and this message must reach the categories for which it is recommended also through general practitioners who can widely invite the administration of the flu and anti-Covid vaccine in the same session. We must prevent the serious consequences of the infection from having repercussions on the health of the elderly and frail.”
To whom it is recommended
Vaccination with the new Pfizer vaccine, specifically developed to counteract the trimester of pregnancy or in the postpartum period, including breastfeeding women, health and social care workers involved in care in hospitals, in the local area and in long-term care facilities, as well as medical and health professions students carrying out internships in care facilities. People from 6 months to 59 years of age with high fragility due to pathologies. Furthermore, vaccination is recommended for family members, cohabitants and caregivers of people with serious frailties. Initially, during the start-up phase of the campaign, priority will be given to people aged 80 or over, guests of long-term care facilities, people with high levels of fragility, and health and social care workers.
Lopalco is skeptical
“If a small group of willing people get vaccinated” against Covid in this autumn-winter season, let’s not blame the novaxes, because “the real obstructionism to vaccinations, the most fearful one, comes from within our healthcare system “. Word of the epidemiologist Pier Luigi Lopalco, professor of Hygiene at the University of Salento, who on Facebook – in a post with the emblematic title “I don’t fear novax in itself, but I fear novax in me” – expresses doubts about the institutional indications received in these hours. “The new, highly anticipated circular containing the operational indications for the autumn vaccination campaign against Covid-19 was promulgated yesterday. Once again the mountain has given birth to the little mouse”, writes the expert. His fears concern in particular the quantities of vaccine available.
“We often hear – Lopalco said – that decent vaccination coverage is not achieved due to Novax. I think differently. The rate of non-adherence to vaccinations linked to Novax propaganda exists, but it is limited. Even residual”. For the epidemiologist the problem is another. “The new circular – he underlines – is nothing more than a copy-paste of the previous one of 14 August, with the added good news that at the moment we only have one vaccine available and, what’s more, in limited quantities. According to unofficial sources, for the autumn campaign we could count on approximately 9,000,000 doses of Pfizer’s mRna vaccine and a little less than 3,000,000 doses of Novavax’s protein vaccine. The contract with Moderna has not been received”. In total, therefore, we are talking about “just under 12 million doses to vaccinate all those over sixty, all healthcare workers, pregnant women and all those with fragile conditions, including their family members and those who take care of them. these must be added to all those for whom – according to the ministry – vaccination is ‘available’, even if they do not fall into any of the previous categories”.
“If mathematics is not an opinion – observes Lopalco – those at the head of our health service have already taken into account that compliance with the vaccination against Covid-19 will be low. It’s as if you invited 1,000 people to a wedding , but I would organize the tables for 100 because I know that the others won’t come. Lack of pressing indications, organization left to chance, lack of investments, lack of communication” are the ‘nodes’ identified by the specialist. He therefore invites us not to point the finger at Novax if the new vaccination campaign flops.
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