Fourth dose of vaccine, Cauda: “I’m afraid it will serve”

Will the fourth dose of the covid vaccine, which Israel has already started administering over the age of 60, be necessary? “I’m afraid so”. This is said by Roberto Cauda, ​​director of Infectious Diseases at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome and consultant of the European Medicines Agency Ema for infectious diseases, who spoke at ‘Agorà’ on Rai Tre. We must continue to vaccinate, he explains, launching the warning: “The reduction of vaccinations for children is not good news. One in 4 infections is under 20 years of age”. “We must not desist” from immunizing against Covid. “The fourth dose – he continues – beyond what may be the effectiveness of the third dose that will certainly give important effects, I think it could be necessary if vaccines are set up that take into account the variants and which would therefore be more efficient in comparison. of protection. Israel’s data will be important, but if they have begun to do so it is clear that, if not for all, for some categories it could be useful “. “I hope 2022 will be Covid-free, if not all, at least part” of the year. But in the meantime “the 170 thousand infections” recorded yesterday in Italy are frightening, “which are growing week by week in a percentage of 150%, and the number of deaths. I believe that the peak may be between mid and late January”, Cauda predicts. All this, he noted, “is certainly due to the Omicron variant, which has already become prevalent in our country. In France we see 300,000 infections a day, in the US a million. We have a rather difficult situation that requires quick stances to be able to try to face it, even if we know that the only way to have a real barrier against this spread of the virus is represented by the vaccine “. “Studies indicate that Omicron gives less severe forms – added Cauda – but when the number of infected people is so large it is clear that even 1% of severe forms determine the stress we are seeing in hospitals and intensive care units and that increase in deaths “.