From Monday, the administration of the new ones in Italy will start vaccines Pfizer e Modern modified to combat the Omicron variant, authorized first by Ema and then by Aifa. The president of the Superior Health Council, Franco, said today Locatellithe general director of the Italian drug agency, Nicola Magriniand the Director General of Prevention of the Ministry of Health, Gianni Rezza. in a press conference on the continuation of the vaccination campaign. «The new vaccines – said Locatelli – are effective both against the Omicron 1 variant but also against Omicron 4 and 5 largely prevalent in our country. In September, 19 million adapted bivalent vaccines are expected to arrive, data that underline the commitment in planning to meet protection needs ”. But, Locatelli underlined, “the timing with which the booster vaccination is carried out is more important than the vaccine used”.
Reservations
From Monday, booking with the new ones can therefore begin at regional level bivalent vaccines and the arrival of a new vaccine should also strengthen the conviction for those who have to take the fourth dose because of their age or because they have other diseases. “Since early September we have authorized two new bivalent mRna vaccines, from Moderna and Pfizer, for the original strain and the omicron variant BA.1, but which also provide coverage against BA.5, as shown in clinical data contained in large and satisfactory dossiers, despite the accelerated regulatory processes “, said the director general of the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa), Nicola Magrini.
Positive isolation at Covid, the ministry circular: reduction of the quarantine from 7 to 5 days
Rezza: priority to categories at risk
The ministry’s circular provides that the booster with the bivalent anti Covid vaccine “should be given as a priority to the categories for which it is recommended, ie over 60 and frail subjects. But since Ema authorizes it for ages 12 and up, I believe we cannot exclude other categories of people for which it is authorized – said Gianni Rezza, general director of prevention of the Ministry of Health -. From the point of view of public health, however, the indication now is to vaccinate as a priority the people at risk who are most in need of protection from serious illness ».
The role of family doctors
According to Rezza, family doctors will play a central role: “They are central to the vaccination campaign next autumn-winter, as are pharmacies, of course, but also specialists, who should feel more involved in the campaign, recommending them to patients who have other diseases ».