Covid vaccine, Galli: “Third dose does not convince me”

“The point is to evaluate the actual usefulness of a third dose of the anti-Covid vaccine. For the moment I still do not have enough elements to be able to take a position in favor. And it seems to me a flight forward, a way to justify even what it is. we still don’t know about coverage times after the second dose. ” So to Adnkronos Health Massimo Galli, professor of Infectious Diseases at the State University and primary at the Sacco of Milan, commenting on the announcement of the first data on the third dose of vaccine presented by Pfizer to the US drug agency Fda. “I have not yet seen the data and until I have seen them – adds Galli – I can honestly say that this story does not convince me. It takes something a little more robust to say that the third dose is really needed, to what extent , when and for whom “, specifies the infectious disease specialist. “Running forward, taking another dose, I don’t know how much advantage it brings to those who respond well to the vaccine. And, above all, to what it really serves to those who respond badly or not at all. The latter if they have not had a good response to two doses – he observes – it is not certain that they can respond well to a third “. Gallo then explains that” the current data on infections are underestimated because they concern those who take the test, probably a minority compared to those who should. many people most at risk of becoming infected are on vacation, away from their usual location. And it must be taken into account that the infection spreads especially among the unvaccinated who are young and very young. This means that we have an underpowered picture. I do not have doubts about the underestimation of the real number of Delta infections that run in the country “.” All this – continues Galli – underlines the presence of an element of risk that must be carefully assessed, but does not change anything in respect of to the fact that the large mass of vaccinated people will mean that we will not have a wave comparable to that of last year in the autumn. We would have cases of infection and the greatest price will be paid by the areas of the country where there are still many people aged 50 and over who are not vaccinated. In those areas we could also have cases of considerable gravity and the request for hospitalizations will increase, but in any case to an extent not even vaguely comparable to what we had to live in the absence of the vaccine “, says Galli.” To make the difference between September 2020 and September 2021 there is 66% of vaccinated Italians who have had a dose of the vaccine. Add an important number of recovered people, who may not have been vaccinated because they are still protected and here the percentage of those who may be subject to serious infection is reduced. Then it will be essential to be able to vaccinate young people and the very young because it is the only weapon we have to reduce the circulation of this virus “, he concludes.