The Director of Infectious Diseases at the Milan Polyclinic: the Health System can handle a possible new wave, but we really don’t deserve it. And the beauty that there are tools to avoid it. The no vax attitude has no justification
Andrea Gori, director of the infectious diseases department at the Polyclinic and full professor at the University of Milan, according to the latest ISS report, infections in the over 40s are on the rise while they decrease in the younger ones. How is it possible?
One of the reasons that in the lower age groups the infection often manifests itself asymptomatically or paucisymptomatically: there is probably a strong underestimation of the data because few voluntarily undergo the tests. The over 40s, unlike the young, are afraid of the disease because they know they are taking greater risks. The most critical category is the over 50s, where there are still 6.5 million unvaccinated people. 10% of the Italian population.
What’s going on in your hospital?
The Covid department full, confirming the increase in infections that occurred in the last period. Over 90% of hospitalized patients are not vaccinated and something difficult to understand: we have a very powerful weapon to protect us and some do not use it. They risk their lives, but continue to support, however without any scientifically valid reason, the choice not to get vaccinated. I am convinced that the health system can handle a possible new wave, but we really do not deserve it. And the beauty that there are tools to avoid it. The attitude of the No vax has no justification.
Do you think that the vaccination obligation could be a viable path?
On a general level, no, but I am in favor of the obligation for those who carry out work with a high social impact and in contact with many people. I am thinking of the doctors, all the health personnel, the teachers.
Is there a risk of returning to distance learning?
We must do everything to safeguard the school in attendance. Our kids have suffered too long, especially from a lack of social contacts. There is a need for normality and teachers without a green pass put it at risk.
Is it important that children between 12 and 17 get vaccinated?
Yes, crucial and they are demonstrating a great sense of responsibility. Not so much for the risk of serious illness and death, which is low, as for limiting the circulation of the virus, the only way to avert the risk of new variants. Delta more contagious than the original Wuhan strain by 70%, the new mutations could be transmitted even faster. Sars-CoV-2 sheds little, for example compared to HIV and Hcv (responsible for hepatitis C, ed), but each new strain increases its transmission capacity. This is why we will not be able to achieve herd immunity. We have for weapons to reduce the virus run: vaccines. This is why it is important that the entire population aged 12 and over receives the two doses. Young people are often asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic but, having many social contacts, they are the ones who trigger the spread of infections.
Do you think a further recall will be needed?
We do not have enough data to establish this. We need to study the duration of vaccine-induced immunity, only then can a decision be made about it. There is only one exception: in highly immunosuppressed people (for example cancer and transplant patients) the third dose offers an evident benefit in terms of protective response.
Can we hope the virus becomes endemic?
The very high efficacy of vaccines allows us to be optimistic. But there are four variables that could reverse the situation: the duration of the immune response produced by vaccines, the (still too high) number of non-immunized people, the risk of new variants emerging and finally the main question: the global pandemic and as such it must be faced, otherwise we will never get out of it.
August 23, 2021 (change August 23, 2021 | 08:01)
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