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6 – How many doses are planned in Italy and in other European countries?
Italy at the end of the vaccination campaign (in one year) will have received 202 million doses of vaccines produced by six companies: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi and CureVac. These may be joined by Italian biotechnology ReiThera, which should begin phase two of the trials. The vaccine must be administered in two doses: therefore, the budget is sufficient for 101 million people. Vaccines are not purchased by states, but by the European Commission, and are divided according to population. We are entitled to 13.5% of those bought in Brussels.
7 – How and at what time is the vaccination campaign carried out?
In the first quarter of 2021, 10 million doses (8.7 from Pfizer and 1.3 from Moderna) will arrive in Italy for the priority categories: health workers (1.4 million), staff and guests from RSA (570 thousand) and more than 80 (4.4 million). Immediately after, it will reach the age group 60 to 79 (13 million) and people with other diseases (7 million). Between the second and third trimesters, teachers and school personnel will also be vaccinated, along with other operators of essential services: forces of order, prison staff and community places. In the fourth trimester, the vaccine will reach everyone else.
8 – Were there any side effects? And what?
To date, 2 million people have been vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna. There were 8 severe allergic reactions, immediately after inoculation, all resolved. For this, the injection is performed in a medical center with assistance in case of anaphylactic shock. The trials showed some mild side effects: for Pfizer pain at the sting site (80% of those vaccinated), fatigue (60%), headache (50%), muscle pain or chills (30%), joint pain (20%), fever (10%). One in a thousand volunteers had temporary paralysis of the facial muscles.
9 – What is herd immunity? How did you get it?
It is the percentage of vaccinated that must be reached so that even those who are not vaccinated are protected. By not meeting more people to be infected, the virus at that moment stops circulating. The percentage is higher the greater the spread of the virus and its spread in the population. For measles, which has a very high contagion rate, 18, 95% of people need vaccines. For the coronavirus it will have to reach 70-80%. In addition to the vaccinated, the recovered should also be considered immune. Unfortunately, both types of protection are temporary.
10 – If everything goes well, when can we return to life as before?
We will be well on our way next fall with the completion of the vaccination campaign. At that time, different scenarios will open. Sars-Cov-2 could mutate and become milder, quickly becoming similar to the other 4 coronaviruses that cause us a cold. Or it could remain dangerous for years, forcing us to repeat vaccinations and maintain precautions. Much depends on their mutation rate, the effectiveness of vaccines, their ability to protect us from infection, and the duration of immunity.
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