Covid Italia, Locatelli: “Possible herd immunity in August-September”

To achieve herd immunity “I would tend to tell them by the summer, staying wide for caution between August and September”. This was stated by the president of the Higher Health Council (Css) and coordinator of the Cts Franco Locatelli, guest of e-Venti on Sky TG24. “Already in June – he added – we will have more than 20 million doses available” of the anti Covid vaccine, “which divided into a daily count brings us to a figure between 650 and 670 thousand doses per day. By continuing at this rate, we will certainly be able to further reduce the circulation of the virus ”. “We are approaching a much quieter phase that creates much less concern than the one we experienced last year – he explained – and the reason is the availability of vaccines, which we have already managed to administer more or less at 33 % of the country’s population with at least one dose. This is an absolutely important data also because efforts have been concentrated on the most fragile populations, who paid the highest price to the pandemic and are beginning to be sensibly protected ”. Regarding the “EMA evaluation of the Pfizer vaccine for 12-15 year olds is expected by the end of May, then we know that Aifa is very quick to give approval on a national scale, so we will certainly be able to start a phase earlier” of the return to school. “I would like to remind you – he added – that we still have to complete the process of securing the over 60s and over 50s. We complete the path to securing those who risk paying the highest price , then we open up to all the other age groups. ”Then the reminders. “The question on whether or not boosters are necessary is a fundamental question, but which refers to the duration of the protection conferred by the vaccine: we do not yet fully know how long it will last, up to 9-10 months we should be largely covered, from then on it is a ‘ absolutely possible eventuality if not probable that we have to undergo a booster dose, ”said Locatelli. As for the masks, “if the numbers continue to go in the direction they have taken, we can certainly open a reflection” on the possibility of reducing their use. “I believe – he stressed – that the North Star is to keep the numbers under control more and more, then we will also think about the abandonment of masks at least in certain situations and circumstances”. Then speaking of the Indian variant Locatelli said that “for what we know today seems to be characterized by greater contagiousness but not by greater pathogenicity, it has a greater ability to spread but does not seem to be able to cause more serious pathologies “.