People who have completed the cycle of vaccination in Italy (with two doses of the vaccine) there are about 2,380,000. Which ones are they the rules valid for them? Is there anything they can do more or with more freedom than those still awaiting immunization?
We need to quarantine
The answer is no. At the moment. They should continue to use masks, wash their hands, maintain physical spacing and other precautions according to the risk assessment, regardless of vaccination status. Not only. The same rules apply to them, as well as to the approximately 2,670,000 healed quarantine in the event of “close contact” with a confirmed case of Covid-19. Stay only repeals it to quarantine for healthcare personnel, with compliance with the prevention and protection measures of the infection, up to a possible positivity to the monitoring tests for SARS-CoV-2 or to the appearance of symptoms.
Unanswered questions and cautions
How come and, above all, until when will it be like this? There are three reasons main: in a certain percentage, which is not yet known with certainty, the vaccinated can still contract it virus and then pass it on to unprotected people; second, some vaccines may not be effective against some variants in circulation in Italy in the same way (especially the South African); third point, no one knows yet how long the protection will last given by vaccination.
It is possible to be positive and infectious
Let’s examine point by point. Vaccines do not prevent 100% of infections (although they all defend against serious illness and death). It is therefore possible (although not as frequent) that a person becomes infected despite having completed the vaccination course. The virus could take root in the nose of an immunized person. In this case, the immune system, stimulated by the vaccine, would protect the subject by preventing the virus from entering deeply. However, the virus seized in the nose could spread as well cause disease to those who have not yet been able to get the vaccine. These infections would be even more difficult to avoid, precisely because they are carried by asymptomatic people.
Also healed, who should maintain a certain level of immunity (between 6 and 8 months), they can get sick again or in any case reinfect e they can infect the others with a mechanism similar to that of the vaccinated.
The circulation of variants
Furthermore, the vaccines we are using they are not fully effective towards the variants, in particular the South African and the Brazilian, which although not predominant, are already circulating in Italy and, to a certain extent, they evade the immune system. Although vaccine modifications are already being studied to address this problem as well, a greater risk of reinfection (and therefore the ability to infect) that the vaccinated and cured patients could suffer in the presence of a variant of this type cannot be excluded.
The duration of protection
Finally, we don’t know how long and vaccinated they will be protected. Obviously, we are now at the beginning of the immunization campaign, so it is assumed that the protection will last months, perhaps a year, but this problem arises above all for the recovered: some of them are infected now a year ago and could therefore not be more protected.
Who has abandoned the restrictions
For all these reasons it is a good rule to keep all precautions. Until? While waiting for the scientific studies to answer some of the previous questions, we will have to wait until she is fully vaccinated a good share of Italians, around 50 million, or in any case that they are totally categories most at risk. At that point, contagions, ICU patients and deaths will likely decrease significantly. Only then could they be abandon some restrictions, especially among vaccinated subjects. In the US they are already doing it: the guidelines of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) allow small groups of vaccinated people to come back to meet even indoors without a mask and without distancing, but the same people will have to continue to implement all mitigation strategies in public places. The speech of Israel, where half of the population (from 16 years) has been fully vaccinated and the 100% received at least one dose: in this case, bars and restaurants have reopened and masks are being abandoned.
The “vaccine passport”
The only option of greater freedom that vaccinated people could access for now are the possibilities that could open up with the screening of the “vaccination passport” discussed in recent days, which would serve to facilitate circulation between EU countries. A “pass” that would also extend to negative people with a tampon and to those recovered from Covid.
March 20, 2021 (change March 20, 2021 | 19:02)
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