Italy starts today with the third dose for immunocompromised people, transplanted and cancer patients with certain specificities, about three million patients.
It begins on Monday 20 September, as announced in recent days by the Covid Emergency Commissioner, Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, at the end of a meeting with the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza.
It starts in a substantially stable national epidemiological situation, with 3,838 new positives in 24 hours (4,578 yesterday) and 26 victims (51 yesterday), but with some very first alarm bells lasting 4-5 days, according to the analysis of the mathematician Giovanni Sebastiani, of the Institute for the Applications of Calculation 'M. Picone', of the National Research Council (Cnr), which comes from the inversion of the trend in Lazio, Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta. "Even if it is too early to evaluate a impact of the reopening of the school, "says Sebastiani.
In intensive care 21 more patients in the last 24 hours;
263,571 tests carried out with a positivity rate of 1.45%.
Today various regions say they are ready to leave with the third dose, from Lombardy to Veneto to Tuscany, and to the Policlinico di Bari (on cancer children).
Rieti has already started last week with 40 transplanted.
In reality we should speak of an additional dose to complete the primary vaccination course of 2 doses, to achieve an adequate level of immune response.
It will be administered at least 28 days after the second, and as soon as possible if this time has already elapsed.
The vaccines are those with mRna (Pfizer and Moderna).
Ten categories of recipients of this additional dose.
Then the 'booster' doses will come for those who, after some time, or perhaps because of the variants, need a dose of reinforcement in the face of the drop in immune coverage such as over-80s, residents of the RSA and healthcare professionals.
This to be administered 6 months after the last dose.
A circular from the Ministry of Health of 14 September last clarifies all aspects while a study conducted in Israel and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, based on data from the Israeli Ministry of Health on over 60 vaccinated with full cycle, shows that respect to the Delta variant, the third Pfizer dose "would bring vaccine efficacy among booster subjects to approximately 95%, a value similar to the original vaccine efficacy reported against the Alpha variant." And, the researchers say, cases of contagion and serious illness drop "substantially" with an infection rate, at least 12 days after the 'booster', "11.3 times" lower than the two doses and a disease rate severe "lower than 19.5" times.The study was conducted from July 30 to August 31 on 1.13 million over 60s who had completed immunization 5 months earlier, divided into two groups: those who received the third dose and those who received two.
Still hot topic if the third dose is for everyone, just like in Israel (now 40+).
At this stage, says the president of the Higher Institute of Health, Silvio Brusaferro, in 'La Stampa' "we are still evaluating whether, when and to whom to give a further injection. The issue, however, is not a third dose of rain" . Invites to wait for more data the virologist of the University of Milan and director of IRCCS Galeazzi, Fabrizio Pregliasco, about a third "universal" dose while he considers it essential "to reinforce the most fragile to make them safe from an expected blow tail of the virus in winter ". While the virologist Roberto Burioni, lecturer at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan urges "immediately the third dose for health professionals while leaving priority to first doses and coverage of the frail".