Coronavirus, the minutes of the CTS: “Confidentiality about the plan” to manage the epidemic and “prevent the numbers from reaching the press”

The invitation to “maximum caution” in the dissemination of the content of the Italian plan against the epidemic to avoid “that I the numbers come to Print“. An organization that had to remain confidential. There is also this request in the almost 100 minutes, starting today online on the Civil Protection website, of the Scientific Technical Committee that in recent months has suggested measures and advised the government on how stop the spread of Sars Cov 2 that led to the death of more than 36 thousand people in Italy. The request is read in the report of February 24 when the dispatch of epidemiologists in the field is requested because of the data that comes from the regions seem For the scientists, at least, in those days at the end of February, swabs were only done on those who had fever and came from China, “not justified by the absence of symptoms.” Although the closure of schools in Lombardy It had already been suggested on February 21, when patient one from Codogno was hospitalized, although already on February 7 the issue of school seems to be a priority. And there is, of course, then Red zone missing in Nembro and Alzano Lombardo: experts propose to institute it on March 3, but a few days later the idea of ​​closing the whole of northern Italy, “without prejudice to the right granted by the law” of 1978 “to adopt new measures for local authoritiesDocuments that until now had been kept secret -except for the 5 disclosed a month ago after the confrontation between the government and the Einaud Foundation- that contain the recommendations and expert advice to the executive to manage the coronavirus emergency. The green light for the publication came a few days ago from the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza and it is planned to upload them all online whenever they pass 45 days of the meeting that is the subject of every minute. In some words “confidential information unclassified ”, which shows how delicate are the opinions expressed in recent months by TCs.

The issue of “confidentiality” – A problem, that of the possible disclosure of these documents, that scientists wondered on February 24, when the first red zones. In those days, the “Plan for organizing Italy’s response in case of an epidemic” was being worked on and the members of the Committee underlined the need to decide “what level of confidentiality dedicate it. “” There is consensus, “he says,” in recommending extreme caution in the diffusion of the document to avoid that the numbers reach the press ”. In the secret act there was then a judicial battle that ended with the government granting the publication of the first five minutes, which were annexed to the decrees with which the most painful decisions for the citizens were made, and later came the decision. make all documents public. In the published documents, however, “personal data and other identifying data of individuals, including companies, and of the latter’s medical devices have been obscured, in order to reconcile the need for transparency with those of third-party confidentiality. “. They were also omitted the annexes and documents submitted to the evaluations of the Cts.

The first indications about the boys of China: The first recommendation to the government on mandatory quarantine for children and adolescents of China. The report notes that, given the “epidemiological analysis of data” from China, “the principal who becomes aware of the imminent return to school of a child / student from the indicated areas, informs the ASL prevention department,” which has the task of implementing “one home surveillance active for the evaluation of any temperature and other symptoms in the 14 days subsequent “.

Towards the closure of schools – The closure of the first schools is suggested on February 21 in light of the “sporadic cases” recorded in Lombardy. At that time, the scientists advised Minister Speranza to order quarantine for those who have had close contacts “with positives in the last 14 days”, “fiduciary isolation” for those who return from China, “active role” of the ASL in the zone and, in fact, “School closings.” The government measure comes two days later and refers to Lombardy itself. For the stop throughout the national territory it is necessary to wait until March 4. The experts, questioned on the subject, actually write that “currently there is no data that irrefutably addresses the usefulness of school closings regardless of the local epidemiological situation. Some predictive models indicate that school closings could justify a limited reduction on the spread of viral infection. “Palazzo Chigi still chooses the hard line. And the CTS the next day wishes to underline its support for the government line.” The text prepared yesterday in reference to the suspension of teaching activities, “we read , “Does not in any way contradict the suspension decision adopted by the Council of Ministers.” During the meeting, Speranza also cured the experts for “the confusion and the disorientation in public opinion ”caused by news leak it took place the day before (when the press anticipated the closing of schools). “The Minister reminded everyone of the importance of confidentiality in the context of the documents and communications of the Cts “.

The lost red areas in Nembro and Alzano – Thanks to the minutes of the beginning of March it is possible to add new pieces to the history of the red zones that are missing a Nembro me Alzano Lombardo, the subject of a tough battle in recent months between the prime minister Giuseppe Conte and the top of Pirellone. The first trace dates back to the document of March 3, which states that “late in the afternoon the data relating to the municipalities of Alzano Lombardo and Nembro, both located in the province of Bergamo, arrived at the ISS.” In this regard, “he was heard by telephone the commissioner gallera and the dg Caiazzo of the Lombardy Region, which confirm the data relating to the increase in the region and, in particular, in the two aforementioned municipalities. “Here it is estimated that” R0 is definitely greater than 1, which is an indicator of Tall risk of a greater spread of contagion. “Therefore, the Cts proposes to” adopt the appropriate restrictive measures already adopted in the municipalities of Red zone“As the prime minister has said several times, in the following days he himself asked scientists for further study. We then reached March 7, when the idea of ​​overcoming the old definition of the red zone and of” defining two levels matures. of containment measures. “On the one hand” the most rigorous measures “that will be applied in almost all of northern Italy (Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Venice, Padua and Treviso, Alessandria and Asti, etc.), on the other the rest of the country.

Alert on beds already in February – Another issue concerns the beds.. On February 12, long before the epidemic breaks out across Italy, the CTS underlines “the need to accurately verify data related to availability room for infectious diseases, resuscitation and other equipment data, personnel and what is necessary to develop scenario hypotheses for the evolution of the epidemic ”. The meeting analyzes the case of the Diamond Princess, and in Italy the only known cases of Covid-19 are those of the Chinese couple hospitalized in Spallanzani. “The data related to the study were presented by colleague Stefano Merler from the Bruno Kessler Foundation in Trento” on the scenarios of the virus spread in Italy and on the impact on the health service “in case the virus cannot be content locally, “the report says. . A study that has been debated in recent days for its estimate of victims (between 35 and 60 thousand).

The confinement also at Easter – Already on March 30, the CTS analyzes the hypotheses of the Ministry of Health on phase 2, considering it necessary, however, to extend the confinement to the entire period of Easter. From the declassified acts, in fact, the forecasting activities of phase 2 emerge: “A first period with the continuation of the containment measures in force until April 3; a later period for the provision of a gradual relaxation, albeit guided by epidemiological evidence, of containment measures for a progressive return to normality. “The next day the CTS agrees to extend the rules at least until April 18, but at the same time considers it correct to consider the need to allow all developmental age subjects to be able to carry out motor and recreational activities outdoors. “It has been too long,” is written in the minutes.

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