Green pass and masks, via restrictions: what the experts say

Towards a relaxation of anti Covid restrictions. From the stop to the green pass outdoors, to the obligation of a super green pass to work for the over 50s, there are many innovations that emerged from the control room between Prime Minister Mario Draghi and the heads of delegation of the majority forces on the revision of the anti Covid measures that provide slackening. But what do the experts think? “It seems to me that in general Prime Minister Draghi listens more to the common sense of a part of science than his Minister of Health and does well”, underlines to Adnkronos Health Matteo Bassetti, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at the San Martino Polyclinic in Genoa , which also focuses on the provision relating to stadium capacity which returns to 100%: “We got there last, but we got there. All European countries are already doing it and now we will too, it is a shareable choice”. Definitely opposed to Walter Ricciardi, according to whom “the legal emergency can cease. But the health emergency does not cease”. Since 1 April, the fact that there is no longer the commissioner structure, which corresponds to the emergency on a legal level, worries me. Because in fact, what will happen is that, on the health level, the crisis will continue and, probably, the growth of infections will continue and – if we do not stop them – there will be a strong wave between June and July “, he told Adnkronos. Health. “Pre-pandemic decision-making mechanisms will be restored. We will need to be very careful because if we do not coordinate well in this phase, in the absence of a legal emergency, there will be an open door for the virus to circulate between the Regions “, concludes the scientific advisor of the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza. According to Massimo Andreoni” with over 70 thousand cases a day and when new, very contagious variants such as Omicron 2 are emerging, easing anti-Covid measures is a gamble. Furthermore, there is a feeling that the explosion of cases recorded this week is also due to the fact that the anti-Covid vaccine may have lost some protection against Omicron 2 infection. But we have to wait for scientific data to have certainties on this hypothesis “.” Beyond the motivations and assessments that the Government has made and will make – specifies infectious disease chief at the Tor Vergata Polyclinic in Rome at Adnkronos Salute – under the strictly sanitary and epidemiological aspect there is a concern for what is taking shape: the increase in cases that has not yet transformed into an increase in hospitalizations, fortunately, but 100 deaths a day are not few – he warns -. It was desirable that some measures were maintained and then I am concerned that a message will be sent to the population in contrast with that of the need to be vaccinated. My fear is that this message of tranquility and exit from the state of emergency could reduce vaccinations which instead are the tool that gave us the opportunity to keep almost everything open. “For his part, epidemiologist Pier Luigi Lopalco explains that “if I had the possibility to decide, I would still keep the Green pass for the next few months, which has proved to be the only effective weapon to increase adherence to the anti Covid vaccination. It’s a tool that worked. And you can see it from the same violent reactions when you insist on the green certificate “. With the Green pass, explains the hygiene teacher at the University of Salento to Adnkronos Salute,” a machine was set up that worked. And it costs nothing to keep it up until summer. Giving this signal in a situation where throughout the spring there will continue to be a very high viral circulation could be useful “, says Lopalco, underlining that” at this stage, in anticipation of the easing of legal obligations on anti Covid measures, it should not pass the message that since the regulatory obligation for something has been eliminated, it is not necessary. It is a risk that we run. “The virus, he concludes,” continues to circulate and will continue into the future. I hope that the lessons that each of us has learned, as a citizen, in recent years will not be forgotten and nullified. Vaccination, mask and Green pass remain important “. He claims that” we are running too much “and invites caution Silvio Garattini, founder and president of the Mario Negri Irccs Pharmacological Research Institute, according to whom it is a mistake” to make believe that we are back to normality. I would not give this impression – he explains to Adnkronos Salute – because it is not normal “that in which tens of thousands of people get infected every day and hundreds lose their lives. And” even if this is of course my point of view, I would like ” decision makers of the roadmap of easing following the end of the state of emergency Covid on March 31 “keep the numbers in mind: only yesterday we had over 70 thousand infections and every day we still have more than 100 deaths”. “It is true that for the moment we do not have an increase in hospitalizations and in intensive care patients “, admits the scientist. What to do, therefore, beyond the obligations destined to fall from April 1st?” Wearing a mask has avoided the flu “in recent seasons” and will be able to avoid us in the future not only Covid – observes Garattini – but many other types of infections that are transmitted by air. As well as the rules of hygiene, washing your hands, is something worth keeping up with. And then pay attention to gatherings, which must be avoided as much as possible because they are the context in which contagion is most likely. And even if you may not have symptoms, being infected and having to stay in isolation for a certain number of days is in any case not a very nice thing. ” University of Milan, Fabrizio Pregliasco who however warns: “I am not saying that it is necessary to slow down. But let’s do it with a ‘roadmap’ that says these are the steps to be confirmed on the basis of the epidemiological trend “.” In Europe – he explains to Adnkronos Salute – Germany, France and the Netherlands have very high numbers, although for now there is no ‘is an increase in deaths, given that it must be considered in a reflection on a possible choice to postpone some reopenings according to the potential risk of an increase in deaths. Something that will be clearly seen in about ten days, given the delay with which the figure of deaths moves with respect to infections “. Opening everything together, he continues,” is a possibility, because what has now been understood is that we will probably have an endemic trend of this virus, so we will have to live with it “.
“In my opinion, however, we should proceed with common sense – he concludes – opening until the temperature is right, otherwise we will burn.” What should we not do? We don’t have to take off the masks indoors. In gathering places, they are the element that buffers the greater share of risk “, underlines Also according to Claudio Mastroianni, president of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (Simit) and full professor of Infectious Diseases at the Sapienza University of Rome” he obligation to wear a mask indoors must also be kept in summer “. While on the stop of the obligation of the super Green pass for the over 50s” we can make a reasoning “, he adds.