The increasingly massive diffusion of Delta variant it is pushing several countries to rethink rules and restrictions, launching a new tightening.
Even in the distant Australia, the alarm remains high. After the four-day lockdowns imposed in Sydney and Darwin, and from this morning also in Perth, on June 30 it will not be possible to leave the house even in the metropolitan area of Brisbane, Australia's fourth city. Only three cases of positivity have recently been detected in the large western Australian city, which however has always had a very cautious approach to the epidemic. It should be emphasized that, since the beginning of the pandemic, Australia (about 25 million inhabitants) has recorded just over 30.000 cases, including 910 deaths. The spread of infections is therefore not comparable to that detected in Europe or the United States, but nevertheless Prime Minister Scott Morrison does not intend to take any risks.
News could also arrive during the day from the Irish government who is considering allowing entry to indoor pubs, bars and restaurants only to citizens vaccinated with both doses (one if the choice fell on Johnson & Johnson). Speaking to reporters ahead of a Cabinet meeting, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said the Government was considering a recommendation from the National Public Health Emergency Team which would require citizens to "show vaccination status" before sitting down to eat or drink. in any room. The restrictions could mean delaying reopening of indoor hospitality, scheduled for Monday, to allow time to develop a system to manage the changes. In any case, eating and drinking outdoors will continue to be permitted. The country has the fifth highest rate of Covid-19 infections of the 31 countries monitored by the European Center for Disease Control.
From Ireland we pass to UK where, despite the sharp increase in infections due to the spread of the Delta variant, the government led by Boris Johnson does not foresee a further postponement after that of 21 June. From July 19 all restrictions will be lifted. “We think it makes sense to stick to our plan to have a cautious but irreversible approach, using the next three weeks or so to complete the vaccination plan with another five million doses we can inject by July 19,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. talking to reporters.
In Italy, following the cancellation of the obligation to wear masks outdoors from 28 June, the Undersecretary of Health Pierpaolo Sileri has proposed to reformulate the mechanisms of release of the Green Pass: no longer 15 days after the first dose, but after the second. “It is likely that the Delta variant will see us forced to remodulate the Green pass – explains the undersecretary -, releasing it after the second dose of the vaccine: but it is too early to say, we are still waiting for the data for a week or two”.
Meanwhile, in the EU, the European Commission announces an initial portfolio of five treatments that “could soon be available to treat patients in the EU”. Four of these therapies are monoclonal antibodies, which are under rolling review by the EMA. The fifth is an immunosuppressant, which has a marketing authorization that could also be extended to the treatment of Covid patients. For the European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides, "even if vaccination is gaining speed, the virus will not disappear and patients will need safe and effective treatments to reduce the burden of Covid-19".
