Italy to unveil new pandemic plan for the next three years
Italy is set to unveil its new pandemic plan for the next three years in the coming days, as the country continues to navigate the challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The previous pandemic plan, covering the period from 2021 to 2023, was approved in January 2021. According to Francesco Vaia, the general director of health prevention at the Ministry of Health, the new plan is in its final stages and will soon be sent to the minister and then to the State-Regions conference.
Speaking at the ‘InnovaCtion: Researching, Innovating, and Changing for the Health of the Future’ event, Vaia reassured the public that the increase in pneumonia cases in China does not pose a cause for concern and that the situation is being closely monitored. He emphasized that the World Health Organization has not advised member states to implement emergency actions at this time.
Vaia also provided updates on the current COVID-19 situation in Italy, noting a slight increase in the hospitalization rate but emphasizing that the trend of SarsCov2 infections remains under control.
In addition to discussing the pandemic plan and the current state of the pandemic, Vaia also highlighted the growing availability of vaccines in Italy, including the expected delivery of 2.9 million doses of the Novavax vaccine in the coming days.
While expressing the importance of the Novavax vaccine, Vaia acknowledged that there may be some “vaccine fatigue” among Italians after more than three years of stress related to the pandemic.
Finally, Vaia confirmed the co-circulation of various recombinant SarsCoV2 viral strains in Italy, including the EG.5 variant of interest, renamed Eris, which is slightly increasing in prevalence. However, the Institute of Health (ISS) stated that there have been no reported changes in the severity of the disease associated with this variant.
As Italy prepares to unveil its new pandemic plan, the country continues to monitor the situation and adapt its response to the ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.