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Keep the virus under control by monitoring data from the regions every day. And to prevent R0, the contagion rate increases (read the latest ISS updates region by region here). This is the challenge to overcome phase 2 of the emergency and return to normal life. A battle that passes the monitoring foreseen by the decree signed by the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza, which entered into force on May 4. The objective is established: “The implementation and strengthening of a solid system of diagnosis, monitoring and surveillance for the circulation of Sars-CoV-2, through confirmed cases and their contacts to quickly intercept any outbreak of transmission of the virus and the progressive impact on health services. “And therefore to identify the sick and asymptomatic, to treat them in a timely manner, to avoid positive contacts. To do this, you need the right tools: masks and gloves to protect yourself, swabs and Tests to identify who has contracted the coronavirus. A circuit that, however, still has too many flaws. Cracks that show the difference between the decrees, the rules, the circulars with which decisions are announced and the daily reality that highlights delays. , overlaps, incompetence. Speaking of delays, for example: on May 2, emergency commissioner Domenico Ar Curi talks about surgical masks: “Starting Monday, citizens who want to buy them will find them at the price of 0.50 plus VAT in 50,000 stores.” Until last night they were practically impossible to find, today perhaps pharmacies have enough.
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Swabs without reagents
Rapidly intercepting and managing new cases of Covid-19 is considered one of the main measures to avoid an increase in stage 2 infections. To do this you need a swab. The announcements are all similar: “Three new machines to process swabs, the objective is to reach 50 thousand tests per day” (Luca Zaia, Veneto, May 1); “We will duplicate the swabs” (Stefano Bonaccini, Governor of Emilia-Romagna, May 6); “We will make 30,000 tampons per day” (Giulio Gallera, Lombardy health councilor, May 7). In fact, the number of daily nasopharyngeal tests has been stable for weeks. Because the reagents needed to process the tests do not arrive, it is often the case that even citizens with symptoms cannot rapidly submit to the swabs. The Prime Minister has been repeatedly asked about these deficiencies and with a written note has ensured that in the next two months the Regions will have another five million in addition to the 2.7 million already distributed. Another announcement that amazes Andrea Crisanti, director of the Microbiology and Virology laboratory in Padua: “Another 5 million? I am surprised. I would like to know if those swabs are accompanied by reagents, I doubt it because there is a great lack of reagents. In Veneto “We started doing it on January 20, when we found out about the epidemic in China. We equipped ourselves, we developed a test practically identical to that of Spallanzani.”
Serological tests
Another problem is serological testing to verify who came into contact with the virus. On April 25, the American Abbott received the tender launched by the extraordinary commissioner for the emergency Covid-19 Domenico Arcuri for the supply of 150 thousand serological test kits. Objective, a sample survey on the spread of the virus in the Italian population as yet asymptomatic. Abbott, who had promised to provide the evidence free of charge, claims to have done so. The response from the commissioner’s office does not seem so clear: “I am still being released, in any case, the green light from the Ministry of Health on privacy issues is required to begin the assessment.” The Ministry of Health announces that the guarantor has not yet made that decision. And the delays accumulate. This is one of the reasons why each Region is moving in its own way: on the one hand, to undergo the serological test with public screening, the categories that it considers to be a priority to evaluate (health workers, law enforcement officers, close contacts symptomatic), on the other, take measures for the general population, especially for workers. Entrepreneur Nicola Bedin, who along with the team of experts from his Lifenet Healthcare group, is advising various companies, including Ferrari, Gucci, Marelli, Tim, Pellegrini, Technogym, Vibram, on safety issues related to the risk of coronavirus. The situation: “The current legislation is confusing and varies from one region to another. In some serological tests, the swab can be made and possibly also carried out with the health service in a reasonable time. In others not. In others it is not yet known. A clear context is that of Emilia-Romagna, which reached a resolution on April 16, giving companies the opportunity to carry out an evaluation simply by applying through a specific form. In Lombardy, companies are awaiting a resolution, which is not yet available to date. “
The 51 machines for the production of masks.
One of the topics that has been maintained the most these days is that of masks (read DataRoom’s study on protection systems here). With the reopening on May 4, the pharmacies should have had in quantity, but it turned out, with stocks already depleted, that the two distribution companies had given Arcuri an incorrect quantity. They had estimated that they had 12 million available, but 9 million of those 12 were still (and still are) certified at the Superior Institute of Health because some eligibility requirements are missing. So they are impossible to sell. “On the one hand, we made the mistake of that estimate of 12 million, sorry, the president of Federfarma Servizi, that is one of the two companies, but on the other hand, we consider that the Italian companies were ready for production.” But no, the companies are not ready yet. Shortly after the appointment, Arcuri had ensured that he had the tools necessary to stop depending on China for the masks anymore: he decided to buy 51 machines that could produce them in Italy. How many of those machines are already operational? None. However, the commissioner’s collaborators show optimism: “On May 12 the first will be put into operation, which will produce a million masks per day when it is fully operational.” The schedule includes these stages: before May 30, 2 machines will work, before June 15, 6, before June 30, 10, before July 15, 35, before July 30, 47, before August 15, 49 , before August 31 all 51. They will produce 35 million pieces per day, which become 41 million together with the production of individuals. Self-sufficiency. One doubt remains: will it be worth having all this self-production mechanism at the end of August? “Of course, because the masks will continue to be necessary and for a long time,” responds the commissioner’s task force. The fact is that now we definitely need it a lot and we depend on China, on shipments, customs, distribution problems and suppliers who are struggling to sell to Italy because the price set at 0.50 guarantees a profit margin that they believe to be very low. Other issue: tobacconists . It was Commissioner Arcuri himself who announced at his press conference on May 2 an imminent agreement with the tobacconists for a more widespread distribution of the masks (tobacconists are in all municipalities in Italy, excluding 724). The agreement has not yet been signed. The text is ready, but after what happened with the distribution in the pharmacies, it was decided to stop: first the supplier list is verified and then the agreement is signed. But that’s how time goes on.
The “Immune” application
The contact tracking app also remains unfinished, capable of alerting those who have been close to a person who has tested positive. In the initial intentions, it was to be one of the essential tools to safely start phase 2, a necessary weapon to avoid a possible second wave. But as phase 2 progresses and every week we move towards new reopens, the app is not there yet and no one can tell if and when it will be there. The government, through the task force of the Ministry of Innovation, from 770 candidates, finally chose Immuni. With a train of controversy over security that is not yet over and that seems to have undermined Italians’ confidence in the application towards the start. But if it is not widespread, it will not be very effective either. Until May 15, in reality, nothing can happen. That day, except for delays, Apple and Google will release the necessary updates to make it work. Then it will take a period of experimentation, which should refer to a large city and an area of low population density. One hypothesis is to focus the tests on Milan and Molise. This phase should last a couple of weeks, after which it will have to wait until the end of May to start operating across the country. So it all depends on how many Immuni downloads. The government’s initial target was 60% of the population, which is also the minimum threshold indicated by experts for effective monitoring. But in recent days, turnout has more realistically dropped to 25-30%. Will it be enough for the trace it would take?
Public transport
Another painful point in which there are still many things to register is transport, the real weak link in the chain in phase 2. In buses, trams and subways, capacity has been reduced to 25% of usual. But it is not clear who has to verify compliance with this rule. Not drivers, they have to drive. Not the controllers, who are few and it is difficult to hire new ones because companies have red accounts, especially after these two months of zero entries. Civil protection volunteers collaborate in managing flows on the ground. But for the rest, you must rely on self-regulation, meaning the good sense of us all. And it’s not always right, especially on the subway. It helps, but it is a paradox, the fact that at the moment people use little public transport. On the first day of phase 2, last Monday, according to data from Asstra, the association of companies in the sector, three million people traveled by public transport. We are at 20 percent of the normal level, double the blockade. On the rise but still few. Most Italians have chosen the car, also thanks to the suspension of the closings of the historic centers and the stop of the paid parking. Traffic is growing. While for temporary bike lanes, advertised in many cities as an alternative mobility tool, we are still in the early stages. Will the system continue when we move more and the rain transforms bicycles and scooters into solutions for the brave few?
May 9, 2020 (change May 9, 2020 | 07:30)
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