Delta variant, the epidemiologist Ciccozzi explains: “The vaccine protects us 98% from Covid-19 in severe form, but does not avoid the possibility of contagion”
Massimo Ciccozzi, director of the Medical Statistics and Epidemiology Unit of the Bio-medical Campus of Rome, he explains: “The Delta variant is not homogeneously spread throughout the territory, there are outbreaks that for now can be controlled. Vaccines protect us 98% from serious disease, on infection the effectiveness drops. We know that the virus changes continuously, so the more we give it the chance to infect the more it could change becoming unassailable by the vaccines we have now. Green pass? On the vaccine I believe in free will, but we must inform to make people understand the advantages of vaccination. Sars Cov 2 will be among us until it will become a human virus, it will adapt more and more and it will become like a flu to be vaccinated for every year. Third dose? At the moment we do not have enough data, “he told Radio Cusano Campus.
The Delta variant is present in Italy, but not in the same way in all regions
“According to the ISS, there is over 30-35% of presence in Italy – said Cicozzi -. It is not a homogeneous spread throughout the country, there are Regions that have more cases and others less. Having a low incidence of disease we can track people, circumscribing outbreaks and controlling them. For now we are fine, obviously this variant is much more contagious and if the virus continues to circulate it will become dominant. Vaccines still protect us 98% against serious disease, against infection instead. latest data from Israel say that the Delta variant decreases the effectiveness of the double dose of Pfizer to 64% “.
The Delta variant can escape vaccines
“We know that the virus changes all the time, so the more we give it the chance to infect the more it could mutate, becoming unassailable by the vaccines we have now. It is part of the evolutionary path of the virus. We have to circulate it as little as possible, vaccines help us in that. “.
Green Pass: the pros and cons of vaccination must be explained
“We are still in the discussion of doing or not doing like the French. I strongly believe in free will on vaccination, but we are physically here to be able to give the right information by saying to people: if you get vaccinated you have this advantage, if you do not vaccinate You don’t have this advantage. We have to explain in the best possible way what the pros of vaccination are: you no longer go to intensive care, the virus circulates less and therefore does not mutate more aggressively “.
When will the Covid-19 pandemic still last?
“It will probably be our travel companion until it becomes a human Coronavirus. It will adapt more and more to us and maybe we will have to have a vaccination every year as with the flu. Third dose? We still have no studies on antibody titers after the second dose of vaccine, until we have these data we will not be able to know if, how and when to do the third dose “.