Covid, Palù: “Low risk for children but everyone must be vaccinated”

“From the age of 12 to 15, the risk of getting sick” from Covid-19 “is low. The important thing is to cover the entire population at the age most at risk, and then gradually move on to the younger ones”. Giorgio Palù, president of the Italian drug agency Aifa, underlines this in an interview with ‘Il Mattino’, on the day in which reservations for vaccinations open for all age groups. “I think we can look at reality with optimism – explains the emeritus professor of microbiologist and virology at the University of Padua – We are, according to the latest official data, have reached a total of over 35 and a half million doses of vaccines administered. , in over 12 million vaccinated people, we are at the second dose, equal to 20.69% of Italians, I believe we are starting to get good coverage from the infection of the virus. With coverage of 75% of the population aged 60 and over , the risk of getting sick has been reduced. And this objective will gradually expand, also covering more and more percentages of the population over the age of 50. “” Of course, the problem of variants remains “, Palù specifies. “Considering that we proceed quickly in the vaccination plan, we must always take into account the greater contagiousness of the variants, such as the Indian and the Thai. Even on the variants, the risk is lower for children and adolescents. But we can also say that, after 15- 20 days after the vaccine, the risk also decreases for those over 60 “. However “it must be said that we are moving towards the summer season which helps in the lower spread of the infection”. The expert confirms that, in the fight against the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, the heat helps. “Like last year: from May to September – he recalls – ultraviolet radiation, together with clearer air and higher temperatures and with the prevalent outdoor activity, make the transmission of the virus less likely”. ‘Even after the second dose, mask and distances indoors’But how long should we be protected by the anti-Covid vaccine? “The official data tell us that we have vaccination coverage for 6 months – replies Palù – This means, of course, that we will have to prepare for the administration of a third dose for those who have had two and a second for those who, recovered from Covid, received a single dose of vaccine as required by the protocols. There are some scientific works that speak of coverage even from 8 to 11 months, linked to the developed antibodies and memory cells. We are certainly covered by the disease, but the possibility of contagion cannot be excluded . We will know from the requests that pharmaceutical companies will submit to drug control bodies and from mass vaccination after how long after the second dose it will be necessary to schedule the administration of the third “. It should also be considered that” the variants affect the production of neutralizing antibodies and the their duration “, observes the virologist at the helm of AIFA. Which also highlights how, “establishing when it will be necessary to administer the third dose also serves to understand the rules to be followed for the famous European vaccination passports”. The problem is that equal rules for all European countries do not yet exist “and I really hope – he hopes – that Europe will find homogeneous rules for all member states. The risk is that everyone decides on their own, creating disparity and confusion . Therefore, common rules will have to be established on the maximum duration of vaccination coverage, to which not only the times of the third dose, but also those of the European vaccination passport will be linked. “” The vaccination campaign – Palù is convinced – must remain open after the second dose. The coverage must be renewed when the period that guarantees the effectiveness of the first two doses elapses. We are still covered by the disease and its serious effects, but it is not yet clear how much we will be protected from the possible transmissibility of the virus. vaccination, for the moment it is advisable to continue to maintain precautions, such as a mask and distance. Especially in closed environments “.