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Forty thousand family doctors in the field to administer the vaccine AstraZeneca up to under 65s, but without the strict limitations of the succession of age groups that could slow down operations. There are 12 million doses of vaccines on the way: 4 by the end of February, 8 in March. AstraZeneca explained that they can send up to 5 million in the first quarter; the rest is largely from Pfizer, with a modest offering (1 million) from Moderna. The governors, at yesterday’s summit with Ministers Roberto Speranza (Health) and Mariastella Gelmini (Regional Affairs), responded to these figures: the doses are missing and they are delivered irregularly. Luca Zaia (Veneto) insisted on one issue: there are vaccines available on the market, let’s buy them.
Covid Italia, the specialist in infectious diseases Andreoni: “The English variant is rampant, it is better to close the schools”
THE RACE
Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who will speak today with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also insisted in the meeting on Saturday night with the ministers on the need to seriously start the vaccination campaign. But there is a drag: the lack of dosage. The government plan, according to experts from the Ministry of Health, now aims to use the ampoules available in a more agile way, inspired by the English model not so much by the renunciation of administering the second dose on time, but by a greater agility. There are also those who, like Professor Ranieri Guerra, suggest increasing the offer in those areas, such as Umbria, where the Brazilian and English variants are spreading more strongly. Let’s go in order: the age limit for AstraZeneca vaccines is 55-65 years. Yesterday Speranza and the Regions signed an important agreement with general practitioners (in detail with Fimmg, Snami, Smi and Intesa Sindacale) who will be involved in the vaccination campaign: there are 40 thousand.
From them will pass the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which does not require the cold chain. However, the trend by age group will be flexible; otherwise, there is a risk of drastically slowing down vaccination. In short: Moderna and Pfizer are reserved for the frail and over 65s, while the other AstraZenecas are reserved, but in medical consultations they will aim for a wide margin of action, because it would be unthinkable to wait until 64 years. have been vaccinated before reaching the age of 63, etc. Therefore, the operation stops. There is another added value of the AstraZeneca vaccine that, after the first dose, according to a study published by The Lancet, guarantees protection greater than 70 percent: the second administration, to increase efficacy, must occur at 12 weeks. This means that, in the meantime, the number of those who will still receive partial protection increases considerably.
If AstraZeneca keeps its commitments between February and June, another 24 million doses will be available, which will therefore allow a quarter of Italians to be vaccinated, always bearing in mind that Pfizer and Moderna will be reserved for those over 65 years of age. Ema’s green light for Johnson & Johnson is expected on March 11: if there are no problems, it means another 7 million doses by June (and this is a vaccine for which just one shot is enough). Draghi wants to increase the offer, but within the agreements of the European Union, it will be difficult for him to accept the push from the governors to probe autonomous purchases. More than one Region is pushing to ask Aifa to evaluate an emergency authorization for Russian and Chinese vaccines.
Draghi’s plan, for its part, seeks the use of large vaccination centers (theaters, sports centers, fairs, etc.) but everything depends on the success of the operation to acquire more doses. At the same time, the possibility of producing in Italy, under license, some of the authorized vaccines is being evaluated, but to reconvert the plants it takes between 6 and 12 months. It can be useful for future vaccination campaigns against Covid, not for the current one.
Last update: 00:29
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