From Monday it will be crucial to respect the infection prevention measures, starting with the use of masks. For Paolo Bonanni, full professor of Hygiene at the University of Florence, a road map is needed to prevent the pandemic numbers from getting worse.
What could the gradual reopening of activities entail?
Probably until the summer we will not have big changes, helped by the arrival of the heat and the possibility of spending time outdoors. But we need great responsibility on the part of everyone, because the virus is still circulating in a sustained way: reopening cannot be seen as a “free all”.
How can you prevent the situation from getting worse?
Wear the mask correctly the first point, better opt for the Ffp2, avoid those of cloth. If you go to a friend’s house, protect yourself when you are not eating. I also hope that police checks will increase: anyone who does not respect the rules must be heavily fined.
Deputy Minister of Health Pierpaolo Sileri said that infections could increase, especially among young people who are not vaccinated. agree?
Yes, I think it is possible. On the contrary, I don’t think deaths and hospitalizations will increase. The vaccination campaign is proceeding and an increasing share of fragile subjects will be protected.
Great Britain has reopened its activities only after having vaccinated many people (about 30 million have received the first dose), in Italy we are further behind: when will we be well advanced?
We will have a drastic reduction in hospitalizations when at least 50 per cent of the population is vaccinated: then we will also see a consistent drop in infections.
According to the ECDC (European center for disease prevention and control), it is possible for vaccinated people to loosen protective measures, such as the use of masks and spacing. What do you think of it?
This statement puzzles me. We know that vaccines are not 100 percent effective in protecting against infection, even though they are a valuable shield against severe disease and death. We cannot exclude that a vaccinated person transmits the virus to others: this is why we should all continue to protect ourselves, for some time to come.
Should testing and tracing activities be strengthened in parallel with the reopening?
I think 300,000 tampons a day is a good number. In Australia, the pandemic was defeated with extensive testing, but the social situation we have in Italy is completely different: 60 million people live in high-density housing situations. The difference can be made by the respect of the rules by individuals and the progress of the vaccination campaign without hitches.
This summer, when we are on the beach, will we be able to remove the masks?
I would say yes.
Is it necessary to leave the 10pm curfew?
Moving it to 11pm would not change anything, allowing you to dine more calmly.
How do you evaluate the green pass project for vaccinated and cured?
a measure that carries risks, because we do not know the individual antibody titers of those who received the vaccine or had the disease. Therefore, even people who are not immune could receive the “passport”. Then the proposal to extend the card also to those who have a negative swab in the last 48 hours makes no sense, due to the obvious possibility of developing positivity in the following hours or days.
Should we worry about the circulation of new variants, such as the Indian one?
As we know, the variants can make the vaccines we have available less effective and even infect those who are cured after contracting a different strain of the coronavirus. For these reasons too, it is vital to continue with the protection and distancing measures.
April 24, 2021 (change April 24, 2021 | 21:17)
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