[ad_1]
Not even four days after the announcement of General Figliuolo’s grand Covid vaccination plan, Italy is once again struggling with a slowdown that could potentially turn out even worse than the others. The Astrazeneca vaccine has been discontinued across the country. Certainly “as a precaution” and it is good to reiterate. But the fact is that a few hours after the government’s announcement, the goal of achieving herd immunity by September, with the80% of vaccinated Italians, it may no longer be feasible. They expect from the Anglo-Swedish company 40 million of doses in September, exactly the reference period given by General Figliuolo for the achievement of immunity.
From here until the end of March they should arrive. 3 millions dose, with the question of whether it can actually be used or not. If the provisions of the European regulator scheduled for Thursday confirmed the ban, the doses of the Oxford vaccine would remain in the refrigerators, leaving the plan in the hands of the righteous. 2 millions of the offer from Moderna and Pfizer, respectively. Not to mention the batches that have been in the fridge for a while. He was born in 58.6% the proportion of AstraZeneca vaccine doses still to be administered in Italy of the total delivered so far. With 1.1 million injections not yet performed. The hope is that Ema will come out in favor of a sudden resumption of the administration of medicines and that the chain of prohibitions that began yesterday in Europe can be broken in a climate of recovery of collective confidence.
And precisely the issue of trust will be one of the most difficult knots to unravel in the practical field. The panic unleashed after suspicions about a possible correlation, until now always denied by the competent authorities, between the Oxford vaccine and some cases of deaths that have occurred, has led thousands of people to cancel their appointments for its administration. Now the reserves are paralyzed by Aifa’s decision, but what must be avoided is the psychological impact of a ban that, even after a possible green light from Ema, could continue to scare and not a little.
The first consequences, closed hubs and skipped calls
The hypothesis of diverting those who have already reserved for AstraZeneca to Pfizer and Moderna is discarded, because the doses reserved for the most fragile categories of over 80 and health professionals, the reserves for teachers and the armed forces are stagnant. The situation is even more confusing for those who, having received the first dose, would have had to undergo the administration of the booster as early as the early hours of this morning. Local health authorities are struggling with the cancellations while the fears of those who have received the now famous “suspicious” batch, seized by the Public Ministry of Biella, only increase. The largest vaccination centers in Italy recently installed were forced to stop: from the center of Fiumicino, visited a few days ago by Prime Minister Draghi himself, to that of Nuvola, the Eur congress center used as a place of administration. Even more iconic is the false start of the first Defense vaccination Drive Trough. Inaugurated just 24 hours ago in the Trenno Park in Milan, today it suffered an unexpected stop. Only in Lombardy there are 33,500 Appointments canceled.
Alternatives to limit the damage
The Italian strategy has always been very focused on Astrazeneca, entrusting the Anglo-Swedish company with a large part of the necessary supply from the first steps of the vaccination plan. The habit of betting on a winning horse still seems to be the preferred route: Even before the Astrazeneca troubles, General Figliuolo had presented the Johnson & Johnson company grooming as the tipping point vaccine. 25 million of promised doses and a strategy that would have worked thanks to the first single dose. In light of the latest facts, Jannsen, the other name for J&J, would further fit the emergency commissioner’s goals for new deals. Even in this case, however, the unknowns are not few. The first supplies will arrive from the third week of April and it is difficult to predict a higher production speed in the immediate future. Also considering rumors of possible production slowdowns, leaked and then denied by the company, a few hours before Ema’s green light for the candidate vaccine. In the background is also the expected Sputnik V. In the last hours, the Russian Investment Fund has announced that agreements have been reached to start production in Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Although negotiations are being carried out to also increase production in the European Union, the most important expectation is the verdict of Ema, which for the moment is still working on the evaluation of the data presented by Russia.
Read also:
[ad_2]