The foundations of the strategy of the new Government on management of the Covid-19 pandemic. After the ok to the decree extending the travel ban until March 27, in continuity with the choices made by the previous executive, Palazzo Chigi is thinking of one change of parameters which determine the entry or exit from the three areas provided for by the four-color system - white, yellow, orange and red - envisaged to limit the spread of infections.
The changes seem to meet the requests of the Regions which presented a document on 21 February which provides for a revision of the parameters and the Rt index, but also of the "protocols for regulating reopenings, in an even more stringent sense where necessary".
It will also change the role of the Technical-Scientific Committee which, as anticipated by the Corriere della Sera, will undergo a downsizing, while continuing to provide data and scenarios on the basis of which the Government will prepare the necessary measures to stem the infections. A spokesperson will also be appointed who will speak on behalf of all scientists, avoiding dissonant voices or "alarms" launched in the press as happened in the past weeks.
Keep an eye out for theevolution of variants. During the Council of Ministers held on February 22, the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, spoke of the slight increase in the positivity rate, which reached 5,6% and of the increasingly dangerous diffusion of the English variant "which runs 39% faster than the others and can become prevalent”.
A concern shared at European level. Yesterday, we recall, Prime Minister Mario Draghi had a telephone conversation with the German chancellor Angela Merkel on the "latest developments in the health field and in the Mediterranean region in preparation for the European Council by videoconference on Thursday and Friday" which will have as main theme the new European project for the vaccination campaign. The aim is to promote joint measures aimed at increasing administrations and anticipating the times of economic recovery.
In the meantime, Italy is thinking of producing a vaccine by itself. The Minister of Economic Development, Giancarlo Giorgetti, will meet Farmindustria representatives on Thursday to understand if there is room for producing a vaccine against Covid in our country. “We will take stock of the situation on the possibilities of giving a hand”, said the president of Farmindustria Scaccabarozzi, “we will tell the minister how a vaccine is produced and what the timing is: a vaccine is a live product, not a synthetic one, it must be treated in a particular way. It must have a bioreaction inside a machine called a bioreactor. In short, it's not like you press a button and the vial comes out. 4-6 months go by when you start a production”.
Remaining on vaccines, the Ministry of Health today published a circular which raises the age of those who will be able to receive from 55 to 65 AstraZeneca's anti-Covid vaccine. The decision was taken after the opinion of the Commission of the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa) and, as the circular specifies, comes "from new scientific evidence that reports vaccine efficacy estimates higher than those previously reported".
By updating the "Interim recommendations on the target groups of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination" of 8 February 2021, they therefore make it possible to use the Astrazeneca vaccine for people "in the age group between 18 and 65 years (cohort 1956)", including "subjects with conditions that may increase the risk of developing severe forms of Covid-19" but "with the exception of extremely vulnerable subjects".
