Against the Omicron variant and against a “less dangerous virus” a new approach is needed, with “useful and sustainable measures”. These are some passages from the ‘vademecum’ that Professor Guido Silvestri, lecturer in the USA at Emory University in Atlanta, entrusts to a series of tweets dedicated to the covid theme in Italy today. “The fact that Omicron is more transmissible but less lethal – a fact now defined – must make us reshape our public health approach to the pandemic towards useful and sustainable measures (vaccines and antivirals) and away from not very useful and unsustainable measures (closures)”, says Silvestri.
“The lockdowns were justified in 2020 in the face of a new virus, dangerous, and with the population without immunity, natural or vaccine. The big game changer of the pandemic was vaccines, which reduced the risk of serious disease by ~ 90%. In 2022 we are facing a less dangerous virus (Omicron) that spreads to a vaccinated and / or otherwise immune population. In this context, I find the idea of repeating lockdowns that were already largely useless towards the first variants that were much less transmissible, to be wrong “, observes the virologist.
“If we were to implement ‘hard’ lockdowns in 2022 we would not only achieve insignificant results, but we will continue to cause enormous socio-economic damage, especially to the poorest (local and global), and we will have given a fabulous propaganda weapon to the no-vaxx galaxy” , says Silvestri. The expert highlights that “it will be essential to avoid measures of ‘forced physical separation’ against children and young people (ie, closing schools / universities). And here I am stunned by how little there is talk of” worst case scenario “due to the devastating mental health crisis that our pediatricians have been seeing for months “, he says, introducing the theme of the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of young people.
“I find it scientifically absurd, socially short-sighted, and ethically irresponsible the fact that this crisis is almost ignored, only because its damages – unlike those of the virus – are not very exploitable from a media point of view and little fearful from a political one. this is a great wish for 2022 is that we stop – especially from the experts exposed in the media – to talk about ‘covid damage’ out of any other socio-health considerations, as if the pandemic were the only problem (spoiler alert: it’s not), “he says. “If, on the other hand, we are able to talk about covid (and how to beat it) with a 360º vision, 2022 will be the boom year of the scientific approach: vaccines for everyone (ie, third doses and children), and massive use of antivirals. (Paxlovid etc) in subjects at risk of severe covid “, he continues.
“In this sense, and hoping to be heard, in my faraway land, by” those who count “(some do, and this gives me pride but above all a lot of responsibility) I wish the Italians a 2022 full of science and a lot of” normal life “, Especially for our kids”, he concludes.
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