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Malpensa Airport – Frame
She is fine and asymptomatic lItalian tested positive for British variant of Sars-CoV2 (the Covid-19 virus). With the mutation, the virus would spread faster (70% more, according to initial estimates) but its effects would no longer be severe. The woman, who returned yesterday from London to Rome Fiumicino, is not hospitalized but is isolated. at home with your partner. The latter, of British origin, positive and asymptomatic, had returned from the United Kingdom a few days ago but the variant has not yet been confirmed. Instead, the woman has a strong viral load. This last element would have helped to sequence the genome of the virus with the variant found in recent weeks in Great Britain.
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced a closure for the south of the country as the mutated virus circulates widely in London and south-east England.
Flights with Great Britain blocked
Already last night the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, had announced the blocking of air links with Great Britain. What is worrying is the stability of the hospital system in the event that the rate of spread of Covid experiences a sudden acceleration, as has happened recently in Great Britain and in particular in London. “I signed one new ordinance that blocks flights leaving Great Britain and prohibits entry to Italy of those who have passed through it in the last 14 days. Anyone who is already in Italy, coming from that territory, must undergo an antigenic or molecular swab by contacting the prevention departments, ”Speranza announced with a post on Facebook.
France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and Bulgaria have also decided to restrict travel to the UK. Similar decisions are also being made from other countries, including Denmark, Norway, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Canada.
Veneto: shock absorber for those who left Great Britain or Ireland
The President of the Veneto Region, Luca zaia, has signed an order that anyone who has come to Veneto, even indirectly from Great Britain or Ireland, must undergo a swab. “Those who are in the Veneto area and have passed through these countries in the last 15-20 days – said Zaia – should do the molecular test at the arrival airport or immediately at the hospital points. If this is positive, in addition to measures already in Of course, the virus will be sequenced to study it. Only from a more detailed examination, after the positive swab, is it possible to understand whether it is the new variant of the virus.
EU, emergency meeting: coordinate controls, resume flights
But worry about the new variant, certainly already widespread in Denmark and the Netherlands, it’s all of Europe. This morning an emergency meeting is underway between the representatives of the countries of the European Union to coordinate a united response to the new threat. The European Commission has urged the Member States to also coordinate the blocking of flights, after some countries, including Italy, have taken this initiative.
“In the next few hours, at the European level, we will implement a robust healthcare protocol so that flows from the UK can resume. Our priority: protecting our citizens and fellow citizens, “French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari wrote on Twitter.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Ecdc) He also urged public health authorities and laboratories in Europe to analyze and sequence virus samples to verify the potential for the spread of the new variant. Preliminary analysis carried out in Britain suggested that the new variant is “significantly more transmissible than previous strains.” Therefore, the Center requested tests, isolation and follow-up of “people with an epidemiological link to cases of the new variant or who have recently traveled to areas known to have been affected, in order to stop the spread of the new strain. “. Countries that found cases of the new variant were asked to report the results through the EU’s early warning and response system. ECDC reiterated the need to avoid non-essential travel.
Four questions (and answers) about the new variant
Second Fabrizio Pregliasco, virologist from the State University of Milan, sare the 4 questions about the new variant that science must answer. This is why the expert he expects “an immediate study,” he explains to the Adnkronos agency, “a comparison that will obviously have to be made at an international level to have great case studies, and with the collaboration of his British colleagues.” In the meantime, here are your 4 questions and answers.
Are tests for the diagnosis of Covid also effective in detecting the new variant of the virus?
“The first results seem to be reassuring. We must look at the positive aspect – invites the expert – First, we have been able to identify this new variant and therefore we have the possibility of monitoring it. For the moment, therefore, the tampons that we have available they seem to work “also to find the new enemy,” but specific controls are needed. “
Is it the disease that causes it?
“Even if the mutant looks more contagious, the disease looks the same,” but this must also be confirmed in all respects.
Will the drugs being used and the vaccines already developed against Covid also fight the mutant virus?
“The anti-Covid vaccines obtained so far should work because the Gb mutant is a small variant inserted into the Spike protein” that the virus uses to attack target cells.
Could the high number of infections recorded in Italy in this second epidemic wave be related to the variant? “It is necessary to verify” if the high numbers of this wave are connected in any way with the English variant: “It could also be”, does not exclude the virologist. In this phase, Pregliasco warns, “it becomes even more important to strengthen the indications provided by the Dpcm and to respect the restrictions, in order to contain the spread of the virus. Also because we know – he warns – that the more it spreads, the more it changes.”
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