Covid, Menichetti: “Send unvaccinated over 60s to be vigilant”

“We have to go and look for the unvaccinated over 60s at home, Chinese model. We still have 12% over 80s, 23% over 70s and 50% over 60s who are not vaccinated. We risk losing them and we don’t have to. 95% of the deaths. for Covid they have been over sixty so far, we cannot afford to lose them “. This is the appeal launched to Adnkronos Salute by virologist Francesco Menichetti, head of infectious diseases at the Pisa hospital. “There is an undeclared issue that can only come out by cross-referencing the data of local institutions with the data of general practitioners – he underlines – In part it may be due to difficulties in booking online and in part the result of resistance to the vaccine. So – proposes the virologist – it must be the general practitioner who must take his list of patients and check in real time vaccinated and unvaccinated. If they are not vaccinated, he must report to the municipal authority that sends the brigade to look for them. Obviously – remember Menichetti – there is no obligation to vaccinate, so the police would only go to invite people to be vaccinated, not to vaccinate them in the Chinese style. But it is important “, he insists. The fear of the virologist is that” with these openings to the bands 40-30 or 12-15 year olds should be neglected by people who are really at risk. 12-15 year olds – he says – nothing happens with Covid, the disease does not exist. Perhaps it can help with a view to spreading contagion but they are not the priority. Hitting the priority objectives for decades of age – concludes the expert – means emptying the hospital and reducing the risk of Covid to a minimum. “THE TREND -” Since the reopening of 26 April, the trend is positive on all fronts, but the what painfully persists is the daily air disaster, that is, every day it is as if an airbus falls: the dead continue to be many “. For the rest, things are going well:” The hospitalizations in ordinary and intensive care are decreasing, number of infected even if – emphasizes the virologist – this is influenced by a reduction in the number of swabs and in particular concerns the reduction of molecular swabs. We are careful – he warns – that those who do not seek do not find “. With the reduction of infections” we would have in theory also recovered the tracking capacity, but – Menichetti points out – we are still behind with a solid surveillance of the variants because ours is not a model british, it is a very point-like system and this is a handicap that we must overcome “. THE MASK -” Use of the mask, spacing, hand washing and open air are the must to follow and there is no date in which these behaviors are to decay. For me they still have to be consolidated and dystonic messages must be immediately denied and condemned because they create confusion. I heard Deputy Minister Sileri who was prompt in announcing the removal of the mask on a certain date, today Deputy Minister Costa said so, it means that we have too many deputy ministers “.” I am amazed and embittered – underlines Menichetti – and an invitation to prudence and to harmonize with the ministry and with the CTS. As a technician I can only agree with the line of prudence reaffirmed by Minister Speranza and – he concludes – knowing Brusaferro and Rezza who are colleagues, I do not think the CTS will give such an indication, it does not exist “.