Covid today Italy, Salmaso: “We will still have to protect ourselves for a long time”

“It is the vaccine that makes the difference. Thanks to the number of immunized, even if the activities have resumed almost normally, even if the school has reopened, the contagion data is down. But we know how volatile the decrease can be. So huge. attention: the health system cannot run the risk of becoming paralyzed again. This is how Stefania Salmaso, epidemiologist, comments in the Corriere della Sera the latest weekly monitoring report. 40 million vaccinated. So the number of people susceptible to the virus has been greatly reduced. The virus behaves as before among the unvaccinated, but their small number and much lower than that of the immunized, allows to keep the spread of the infection at bay. Even in Sicily, the only region finished in yellow according to the established classifications, there is a decrease of 30% of cases, despite the regional average being still higher than the national one “. But for the epidemiologist it is necessary to keep” two principles clear. There is no zero risk, even the vaccinated can occasionally become infected, which is why it is essential to maintain prudent behavior. Social occasions are another contagion factor, especially among the youngest, a category in which the percentage of vaccinated is lowered “. The green pass, he argues,” is a valid help. Keeping in mind, however, that of the three conditions that allow the green pass to be discharged, for one the filter has larger meshes: the buffer. Being vaccinated or recovered from Covid ensures immunity. Having received the negative result of a swab does not exclude the possibility of getting infected in the following 48 hours in which you are also the holder of a valid green certificate. For this reason, caution is required in any case. “Speaking of swabs, the ministry clarified that the saliva test does not ensure the green pass if a molecular analysis is not carried out on the sample: can you explain why?” For a simple scientific reason. On the saliva sample, the search for the viral genome, ie the molecular examination, is more sensitive and the relative results are more reliable than the rapid test that looks for proteins, ie antigens. “To those who refuse the vaccine, to those who fear it. effects, what does it say? “Vaccines have been administered in the European Union to hundreds of millions of people and are safe. Infection with the virus that causes Covid can be serious and cause long-term effects. The pandemic will not end anytime soon, we will have to protect ourselves for a long time to come. Getting vaccinated is the best way “.