Paolo Centofanti, the Mauritian head physician, was vaccinated in January and became infected in September. It sounded like a hoarseness from so much typhus, but it was Covid
Paolo Centofanti, 53, married with three daughters in charge of the cardiac surgery department at the Mauriziano hospital in Turin. Like many of his colleagues among the first to have received the anti Covid vaccine in Italy and also one of the health workers who, months after the second dose, tested positive for coronavirus. The Istituto Superiore di Sanit in its latest report reports a increased infections among doctors and nurses which represent 3.6% of the total cases in the population (1,444 in the last month). A signal that pushes for the rapid completion of the vaccination cycle with the third dose for those who were immunized first and work in more risky environments.
Doctor Centofanti, when did you get vaccinated?
I received the first dose of Pfizer on January 2nd, the second on January 23rd. I work in a very delicate ward, as soon as we had the chance we all vaccinated ourselves to protect ourselves, our families and above all our fragile patients.
How have you worked in these months?
Our department closed like a bunker. The main concerns were related to emergencies, when there was no time to wait for the result of the swab because the patient, in danger of life, needed immediate care. We still managed to keep Covid out of the ward.
At one point she tested positive for the swab …
Yes, every thirty days in the hospital we do a surveillance swab which is used to monitor the progress of infections among vaccinated health workers. On September 14, I tested positive for Covid with a quick swab. I immediately went home and isolated myself. The diagnosis was confirmed with a molecular swab.
Have you experienced any symptoms?
I had a little hoarseness. I’m a Juventus player and I blamed the symptom on the fact that I shouted a lot to cheer during the weekend match seen on TV. I was honestly very surprised because I did not have contact with people who tested positive and I did not engage in risky behaviors: among other things, I now live with the built-in mask. We know that the vaccine does not protect 100% and immunity seems to wane over the months. Probably if I hadn’t been vaccinated things would have been worse.
How did the isolation continue?
For a couple of days I have had joint and muscle pain, like when you have the flu but I have not had a fever, I have not had a cough and I have not lost taste and smell. On the 10th day control swab I was still positive. I repeated it seven days later and after 17 days I finally came back negative and went back to work.
Do you think you have infected someone?
Screenings on colleagues and patients all gave negative results. All checks have ruled out that the infection occurred in the hospital, where we apply very strict protocols. At home, I locked myself up in my room and used an exclusive bathroom. Neither my wife, who is a pediatrician, nor my daughters have been infected, nor my mother or my in-laws who live next to us. They are all vaccinated. The truth is, I have no idea where I might have gotten infected.
October 25, 2021 (change October 26, 2021 | 10:17)
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