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Covid in recovery: today the green light for the vaccine. That's who has to do it

The new anti-Covid vaccines will arrive in October, but doubts remain about the adhesion of the population. The indications of the Ministry of Health

Covid in recovery: today the green light for the vaccine. That's who has to do it

The national campaign of anti-Covid-19 vaccination, which will be concomitant with the one against seasonal flu. The green light in Europe for the first of the new vaccines updated anti-Covid, that of Pfizer, is expected for today. Barring unforeseen events, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will officially open the procedure that will lead to the vaccination campaign in early autumn. But who has to do it? According to what was reported in the recent circular from the Ministry of Health, signed by the director of prevention Francesco Vaia, the categories are always the same: over 60 and fragile people of all ages due to pathologies.

Covid: is the worst over?

There were several criticisms of the "lack of clarity" and "approximity" to the indications of the Ministry of Health. According to some experts, coverage will be very low. After all, the majority thinks that the worst is over and the latest measures, such as mandatory isolation in the event of a positive result, have also fallen. Still, the new ones variants they are expanding, with cases doubling in recent weeks, but without yet putting pressure on health systems. Not to mention that by now there are only a few who undergo the test. The pandemic, as WHO said, is over but people fragile I'm anyway at risk.

Infections increase

The new anti-Covids – the one from will soon arrive too Modern – they were designed, as Marco Cavaleri in charge of the EMA vaccine task force explains, to counter the XBB.1.5 subvariant, “but they also work against the newer ones”, such as BA.2.86, i.e. Pirola. “We must prepare for an increase in cases – says Fabrizio Pregliasco, a hygienist from Milan – and remind ourselves of the anti-contagion prescriptions, which the ministry itself also reiterates. It was right to remove the obligation of isolation but it remains important to have great common sense, and finally the relaunch of vaccination is crucial ".

Who is recommended to get the new anti-Covid vaccine?

As in the past, the objective of this national campaign is to prevent mortality, hospitalizations and severe forms of Covid in people elderly and with high fragility, and protect the pregnant women and health workers. To these groups of people and in general to the most fragile – which include, among others, healthcare workers, the chronically ill and immunosuppressed patients – a 12-month booster dose is recommended and offered with the new updated vaccine formulation. But it is still recommended to family members and cohabitants of people suffering from important fragility.

Will there be a recall?

Based on the timing of the administration, the possibility of administering the booster dose at a distance of at least 3 months since last dose or since the last diagnosed infection. With the exception of some cases, as already mentioned, it will also be possible to co-administer the new updated vaccines with other vaccines, such as the flu vaccine.

Covid in recovery: the new variants

As the Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research writes, the more the virus circulates, the more it has the opportunity to mutate, giving rise to new variants or subvariants, such as Eris e Pyrola. The first direct descendant of Omicron detected in February 2023, the second identified by several laboratories in the second half of August 2023.

What do we know about Eris?

Eris doesn't differ much from the numerous other variants of Omicron, though early reports point to one possible greater transferability, thanks to a new mutation in its spike protein that could potentially evade part of the immunity acquired after vaccination or infection. What are the symptoms? EG.5 tends to infect the upper respiratory tract, like other subvariants of Omicron, causing cold-like symptoms.

What do we know about Pirola?

Pirola is still quite rare, which is why there is still not enough data to make predictions about its spread and impact on health. It appears to derive from the Omicron subvariant called BA.2, which caused spikes in cases in early 2022. However, the spike protein of BA.2.86 has 34 mutations relative to BA.2.

Are there risks that these variants could experience a significant increase in hospitalizations? According to the Institute, thanks to the broad immunità acquired in these years, the chances of these new subvariants being more severe than the existing variants or causing the level of discomfort of the first waves of Omicrons are very low.

Updated August 31, 2023 at 10:09 am

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