“There are signs of a clear deceleration, in the next few days we could expect a reduction in the number of cases”. Professor Franco Locatelli, coordinator of the Technical Scientific Committee, thus analyzes the picture of the covid epidemic in Italy. “In the last week the increase was significantly lower than in the previous week, in the last 4 days the number of infected people is constantly under 200,000. If we compare this Sunday to the previous one, there are 6,000 fewer cases. a clear deceleration, in the next few days we could expect a reduction in the number of cases “, he tells Che tempo che fa. The Omicron variant dominates the scene: the virus appears more contagious, but the disease appears milder. “Data in the laboratory and in models document a reduction in the ability to bind to the cells of the pulmonary alveoli. But we must not make the mistake of thinking that this variant cannot cause a serious pathology. In countries where it appeared before Italy they are evidence relating to a quota of infected who lose their lives. We do not say that it is a cold, we do not trivialize “, says Locatelli.” An unvaccinated person, compared to those who received the booster dose, has an almost 30 times higher risk of ending up in intensive care. Over the age of 80, this risks reaches 70 times, “he says, focusing on the importance of vaccination. In Israel, the fourth dose is administered. “The data from the United Kingdom tell us that more than 10 weeks after the booster dose the protection remains well close to 90%. Only well-conducted investigations will tell us if there will be a need”, for a fourth dose “with a particular eye on the frail”.