Covid-free ISLANDS? From Capri to Elba, from the Aeolian Islands to the Tremiti Islands, the Italian islands see the possibility of saving their tourist summer. And while the controversy is ignited between the governors of the regions, with De Luca in favor and Bonaccini and Zaia opposing, each one to protect their respective tourism sectors, we are wondering about the feasibility of the idea. Especially in the absence of a vaccination passport that can guarantee the immunization of tourists, as well as that of locals.
The interview
Covid free summer. The mayor of Lampedusa: “Full vaccinations, We will be the first virus-free island”
by Elvira Naselli
Another important point is that of the means of circulation. The owner of the Ministry of Tourism, Massimo Garavaglia, in fact declared that he had opened a table with the ministers Enrico Giovannini (Infrastructure and mobility) and Roberto Speranza (Health) to establish protocols for safe circulation. From this point of view, a model that tour operators look to is the one developed by Greece, which had issued the first ones at the end of February “Vaccination passports” (to those who have received the second dose of the vaccine, which allows a fast track at airports and to avoid quarantine once they have crossed the border) and who plans to complete the vaccination of all the inhabitants of 69 islands by the end of April. While reservations from Europe are already flooding, the Maldives, the Seychelles and the island of Phuket (Thailand) have also defined protocols for the entry of tourists already immunized by the vaccine, or in any case Covid-negative molecular test.
The plan of the Italian islands to become Covid free
by Valentina Arcovio
In the wake of these examples, islands such as Capri, Ischia and Procida had already announced the start of a mass vaccination campaign last week, with a registration platform for all over 16s on the recommendation of the ASL and the Campania Region. But then it was decided to complete the vaccination of the frail and over 70, as per the government vaccination plan. After all, it was the extraordinary Commissioner for the emergency, the general Francesco Figliuolo, to deny the idea that for some tourist locations, exceptions can be made to the vaccination priorities established for the whole Italian territory. In any case, the first two Italian Covid-free islands could be Lampedusa and Linosa, for the mass vaccination promoted by the mayor of Lampedusa, Salvatore Martello.
Strong disparities
But, beyond the captivating label, what does “Covid-free Islands” really mean? “It means, from a scientific point of view, making sure that all residents of the island are vaccinated (having completed the vaccination cycle, therefore with a double dose) and admitting only vaccinated tourists to the island or those who have a negative swab” he explains to Salute l’immunologa Antonella Viola, scientific director of the Pediatric Research Institute and lecturer at the University of Padua. “Obviously the problem here is not scientific, because from this point of view it would work, but it lies in the creation of strong disparities that would be created in the territory. In fact, vaccinations must be done on the basis of clinical risk: everything else is not only unfair , but also a strong brake on restarting “. Antonella Viola is not the only scientist to express perplexity on the idea of Covid-free islands.
Covid 19 vaccination, towards a European passport
by Daniele Banfi
Explain Carlo Federico Perno, director of Microbiology and Virology at the Infant Jesus of Rome: “The hypothesis of generating areas without Covid is possible from a conceptual point of view, however, in order to be realized, it requires a series of elements that are not easy to solve, which make it impractical at the present time. First of all, a massive availability of vaccines would be needed such that it is possible to immunize an entire population of a given island, without this being at the expense of vaccinations in the rest of the country, especially against elderly and frail people. This hypothesis, at the moment, is not practicable, given the extreme difficulties we have in the procurement of vaccines. This criticality, alone, is already sufficient to make the hypothesis of Covid-free areas of the country difficult at the moment “.
The entrances to the weak point islands
The second point highlighted by the virologist concerns the entrances to the islands: “It would be necessary to set up a diagnosis system that would allow people to be intercepted at the entrance who, being infected, can transmit the virus within the area defined as Covid-free. . Antigenic swabs are not enough, since they are able to indicate the non-infectivity of a person at that time, but are not able to rule out the infection (which can cause infectivity in the following days, due to the evolution of the infection towards the disease). We need molecular buffers available in a massive way – explains Perno – and the development of a vaccination passport defining the protection of vaccinated persons. This is a crucial point, given that many commonly used vaccines (such as AstraZeneca) are valid against the progression of infection to disease, but there is no evidence to protect against infection. Therefore, in certain cases, we could have vaccinated people who will not get sick thanks to the vaccine, but who could still be infectious. “
Back to hug, in safety
The fourth and last point highlighted by Perno concerns the maintenance of the distancing measures: “This element remains indispensable alongside the possible vaccination passport, and in any case in general, given that the transmission methods of the virus and its aggressiveness do not exclude that it can however circulate if not adequately contained in its ability to be transmitted from person to person “.
The intrinsic difficulties in the concept of “Covid-free Island” are, according to experts, considerable and difficult to face: “In a globalized world like today’s, thinking that the island itself remains an uncontaminated island is quite illusory. . Because the islands are tourist destinations and sources of activity, “he explains Massimo Andreoni, head of infectious diseases in Tor Vergata and scientific president of Simit. “If we think of the current discussion, that is to create Covid-free islands, for example in Campania, with Capri and Ischia, the prospect, in itself, would also be plausible: vaccinating all the islanders of Capri and Ischia can be achievable, given that they are well identified people and not particularly numerous. But I wonder how much all this really serves: because the influx of people who have houses or who go to spend their day on the island is very high, as they are very close to the coast and therefore easily reachable. It is as if I had set my mind to sanitize and reclaim a Roman neighborhood. Technically it can be done, but then what use would it be? Since it could soon be recontaminated by everything around it. So the purpose of containing the epidemic of the ‘Covid-free islands’ seems to me all in all modest, because the virus would land on the island at the first hydrofoil or ferry that docks: I see it more as an oper promotional action “.
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Even the molecular test done to all those who land on the island, according to Andreoni, would not be a truly decisive measure. “This was also proposed some time ago by the president of the Sardinia region. But it would be difficult to achieve – explains Andreoni – many hydrofoils leave for Capri and Ischia a day. It would take a system that monitors thousands of people arriving on the island with swabs. and depart from the island. Furthermore, the swab in this epidemic has proved to be a fallacious tool, because the negative swab on departure does not guarantee that the person the next day, or even the day itself, is not positive. to whom we entrust the “license of negativity” first of all have their sensitivity limits. And then it is the pathology itself that has its incubation, so a person can leave with a negative swab and then develop the disease a few hours or a few days later ” . It is true that with the molecular test the access of the virus to the island would be reduced, but there would be no 100% guarantee of the success of the operation. “Rather than thinking of targeted vaccination campaigns on the islands, I would think of campaigns on the population – explains Andreoni – the strategy, in my opinion, should not be local, but regional and even more national, with everyone trying to do the same things , proceeding as quickly as possible – provided that enough vaccines arrive – and proceeding by age group, to try to reduce circulation first in the most fragile people and then progressively in the whole population “.
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