Omicron variant, Locatelli: “Less dangerous than Delta but can cause serious illness”

The message that the Omicron variant “connotes the inability to cause severe disease is incorrect, it is less dangerous than Delta but has the ability to induce severe and even fatal disease”. This was stated by Franco Locatelli, president of the Higher Health Council and coordinator of the CTS, in his speech at the press conference on the latest anti Covid measures adopted by the government. “A South African study recorded 256 people who lost their lives from the Omicron variant and the vast majority of them were over 60 years of age. This factor – he stressed – continues to affect”. Furthermore, “it should be clearly underlined, data from the United Kingdom document that the booster dose against Omicron gives a vaccine efficacy of 88%, while that of the primary vaccination cycle is 65%. This is why it is essential to insist on vaccinations”. The choice of compulsory vaccination for 50-year-olds has its own solid scientific rationale – remarked Locatelli – Before vaccines the lethality rate was going to rise significantly above the age of 50 “. Then, to a question about the treatments, he replied: “There has also been great attention to cures for Covid-19 such as monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs. But it is good to line up all the points: only a monoclonal is active against Omicron. “. For this “we have taken steps to purchase the 2 antivirals”. On the latest anti Covid measures adopted by the government, the president of the Higher Health Council explained that “within the CTS, the Technical Scientific Committee, there is no dissonant voice with respect to the measures adopted by the government. C ‘it was a meeting no later than December 7 and in fact the epidemiological situation of the country was analyzed without a single voice dissonant with respect to the one that had been adopted was raised “. Locatelli added that “there has never been a position that was not one of priority protection and support of the school and the problem of having our positions not listened to” has never been raised.