«For those who work in hospitals it is a déjà vu. We are preparing for this fourth wave exactly like the previous three: setting up ad hoc departments and trying not to jeopardize the health of non-Covid patients “. Valerio Del Bono is the head physician of the only infectious disease ward in the province, in the “Santa Croce e Carle” hospital in Cuneo. A ward that for a few days has faced an increasing number of hospitalized with coronavirus. Again. As has been happening for weeks in the rest of Europe.
For now, 14 positive patients are hospitalized at the «Carle», another 7 more serious are in the sub-intensive and intensive therapies at the «Santa Croce». Before the global pandemic, the specialized department of the “Carle” had 22 seats and had reached the record number of 150 beds (arranged on various floors, all occupied at the moment of maximum emergency): in the Cuneo area the peak was between November and December 2020 In that period, even counting the revolutionized spaces at the “Santa Croce”, there were over 250 hospitalized for the virus in Cuneo alone, ten times more than today.
Del Bono: «We are on alert. Vaccination helped not big, but huge. Between the increase in infections and hospitalizations usually pass between 8 and 12 days, so we expect an increase in patients. We repeat what has already been done the other times, with dedicated beds and an increase in staff ». For “ordinary” patients, one nurse for every 10 patients is generally enough, while in Covid cases, one for every six beds is needed. An even greater number in intensive care.
“And the Omicron variant?” It must not scare. It will soon become predominant, like the Delta, i.e. the Indian variant. Who had taken the place of the English Alpha in a few weeks. The same will happen with Omicron. These are variants apparently with greater transmissibility and less severe symptoms. South Africa, for example, did not have major problems in terms of hospitalization with Omicron, the same happened in the United Kingdom, where now there are more than one hundred thousand new infected people per day, triple the number of Italy. Let’s hope that the plateau, the peak of the inpatients, arrives quickly. Certainly, the vaccine does not completely protect against infection, but it completely protects against serious illness, death: those who are not vaccinated are worse off ».
Valerio Del Bono was the first ever vaccinated in the province: a year ago, in these days, he had inaugurated the vaccination campaign for health professionals at the local level, being the first to hold out his arm and talk about a “new beginning” and “light in at the end of the tunnel that you are beginning to see ». He received the third dose in early October.
On the question of the unvaccinated: «In the ward we have never had any furious no vax, no insult to the operators or disagreements. Everyone must be treated: we do not give sermons, but we explain to everyone that the vaccine protects ».
The future? Del Bono: «Covid will probably become an endemic disease and no longer a pandemic. In short, like the flu, with the seasonal peaks for which we should all be prepared and ready to protect ourselves, in the hospital and in everyday life. For now there are no critical issues. We work by providing more hospitalizations in the coming days or weeks, trying not to harm other patients, who need other types of care. In short, think about everyone’s health without leaving anyone behind. Something that before the vaccines we could not afford ». –