Italy could experience a seamless vaccination campaign. If the coveted herd immunity is reached between September and October, with at least 70% of Italians vaccinated (42 million), vaccine boosters for those who were first immunized could start as early as November.
In fact, between the end of January and the end of April of this year, 6 million Italians have already received a double dose of vaccine: first of all the more than 2 million health workers, the first ever to receive serum against Covid and for which there is also an obligation to get vaccinated, and then about 4 million over 80 and frail.
How long does the vaccine coverage last?
The new vaccination campaign could start from them, which is now taken for granted if the virus, as it seems, becomes endemic. It is less obvious at the moment when this new mass immunization could be triggered, which could start by privileging the groups most at risk: the issue is scientifically debated and is linked to the duration of the vaccine coverage on which definitive data are still expected. The most cautious speak of a coverage of about 9 months which for these first categories would expire in the autumn, but the defenses could last up to a year.
Loading…
Beware of variants
The other variable that should not be underestimated for the next vaccination campaign is that of variants: for now none, apart from the less widespread South African, would make the vaccine less effective. But vigilance is maximum, starting with the Indian variant which, however, from the first studies would not invalidate the current vaccines.
The Uk plan
Abroad, however, there are those who are already organizing themselves, such as Great Britain which has already bought 60 million extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine “to support the recall programs of the vaccine against Covid-19 starting in the autumn”, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson explained. But Europe has also started negotiations, in particular with Pfizer and Moderna, to acquire a total of 1.8 billion doses of second-generation Covid-19 vaccines.
«Immunization does not end here with a single round: since the virus will return to the charge in the autumn, we will have to find at least all the categories most at risk, the elderly and frail and whoever else will, protected with a third dose of vaccine. Possibly with a product remodeled on the basis of the new variants », underlines the president of the Italian Society of Virology (Siv-Isv), Arnaldo Caruso. Which confirms that there is no certainty about how long the protection will last, but for sure “the virus will return with new waves”: “The important thing is to think about it in time – Caruso insists – get organized right now and get ready”.