What is the effectiveness of the third dose? Girotondo (viral) of experts

16 November 20212 years ago babelfish

Facts, numbers and insights on infections, vaccine efficacy and third dose

The Council of Ministers is expected to discuss this week the provision that obliges healthcare personnel to administer the third dose of the anti Covid vaccine and this is because the number of cases is rising both among professionals and among the general population.

But what are the data and expert opinions on infections, vaccine efficacy and the need for the third dose?

DATA ON INFECTIONS

Yesterday in Italy there were 5,144 new infections, with a positive rate of 2.1% and 44 deaths. In particular, among health workers – who were the first to be vaccinated at the beginning of 2021 – infections are constantly increasing.

Il Sole24Ore , reporting the data of the Higher Institute of Health (Iss) processed by the National Federation of Nursing Professions Orders (Fnopi) and the Nursing Up nurses' union, announces that "in the last month (14 November-14 October) 2,736 compared to 2,396 in the previous month and 936 in the period 14 September-14 August. Of these, about 80% are nurses ”.

DATA ON THE THIRD DOSE

According to the anti Covid vaccine report published by the government and updated this morning, there are 2,613,712 booster doses, i.e. boosters, administered so far – that is, 50.94% of the population potentially subject to the third dose who have completed the vaccination cycle for at least six months.

WHO CAN RECEIVE THE THIRD DOSE (FOR NOW)?

For now, guests and staff of the Rsa and healthcare professionals have been involved with the third dose over 80, then all the over 60s, hyperfragile subjects and finally all subjects vaccinated for at least six months with the single-dose have been added with a new circular. by Johsohn & Johnson, regardless of age.

But from 1 December, people between 40 and 60 years of age can also be immunized with the booster dose, provided that six months have passed since the primary cycle.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE VACCINE

But why is the third dose essential? The latest data published by the ISS show that the protection offered by the vaccine decreases significantly after six months as regards the infection. More precisely, after this period, it drops to 50.2% against the average of 75.7% that follows the months after the second dose.

THE OPINION OF ANTONELLI (POLICLINICO GEMELLI)

In the babel of comments and expert opinions on the third dose, Massimo Antonelli, director of the Emergency, Anesthesia and Resuscitation Department of the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, is one of the most direct: "People are tired, Italians are tired, but it is necessary they do the third dose. And continue to wear masks and respect the known rules, ” he said in an interview with Corriere della Sera .

“Everyone is tired of the pandemic, it seems fair to me, after 2 years of this. But I remind you – he underlines – that we doctors too, we of the hospitals, who have never stopped since March 2020 and that, if it is true that at the beginning of this summer we thought we could finally catch our breath thanks to vaccines, here we are again under pressure: here at Gemelli, for example, 21 beds are occupied, out of 30 available for anti-Covid intensive care ".

What happens? "It happens – Antonelli replies – that the approximately 5 million people in Italy who have not yet done so [the vaccine, ed ], 5 million potential vehicles for transmitting the infection – should get vaccinated as soon as possible and all the others who are already vaccinated without delay do the third dose. Because not only are the hospitalizations growing, and if you knew how many no vax hospitalized by us are now crying and repenting. But the truth is that among those who end up in intensive care today, 15% are extremely fragile vaccinated, while up to a few weeks ago they did not exceed 5%. Then there are those, a very small part, who have no effect on the vaccine and those who have serious concomitant diseases ".

WHAT ABRIGNANI (CTS) SAID

Sergio Abrignani, immunologist of the Scientific Technical Committee (CTS), is not upset by the third dose. "The third dose is done with the majority of vaccines, it is not a particularity of this for Covid-19," he said, arguing in favor of the third dose for all.

"It is generally performed 6/12 months after the last to trigger a long-term memory" since after two doses "the strong protective response is reduced". "Generally – continued Abrignani – this is the case with all the vaccines that we also make our children do: they need three doses because the first two doses are used to induce a strong immune response, which, however, if not followed by a third dose it often begins to decay after a few months ".

THE COMMENT OF ROBERTO CAUDA (POLICLINICO GEMELLI)

For Roberto Cauda, director of the complex operating unit of Infectious Diseases of the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome and scientific reviewer of the government's Covid parameters, "it is an appropriate choice" for Israel and the United Kingdom to bring forward the recall by even one month, after five months, therefore, and you are not from the completion of the primary cycle.

The Councilor for Health of the Lazio Region, Alessio D'Amato, also agrees on anticipating the third dose. “We are getting signs that we don't like them. We see too many cases, even serious ones, among those who were vaccinated six months ago. We need to change our strategy against Covid, imitate the United Kingdom and offer the third dose first, five months after the second ", he said in an interview with the Messenger .

"Nobody in the world knows – said Cauda in the same newspaper – if the game is closed with the third dose, or if periodic reminders will have to be made".

THE SOME CRITICAL BUT ALSO POSITIVE MESSAGE FROM CHRISANTS

The administration of the third dose "had to be decided immediately", according to the director of the Microbiology department of the University of Padua, Andrea Crisanti, and it would have been "appropriate already after 5 months" , he added. The additional dose, in fact, specifies the expert, "completely restores the protection", but to speak of the fourth dose, however, "it is still early".

However, despite the fact that it could have been done better, Crisanti says he is optimistic for next Christmas. “It will be freer. My optimism comes from looking at what is happening in the UK, where they have vaccinated less than us, around 75% of the population, but they do not apply the measures and containment that we do here. There is no ban on gathering and no obligation to use the mask indoors, and a balance has been established set at 40,000 cases and 150 deaths per day. In Italy – concludes Crisanti – in addition to a higher vaccination coverage, we have measures such as the obligation to wear a mask indoors and the Green pass. Here, I think we will reach a lower balance, probably around 15-20 thousand cases, and an acceptable number of deaths, no higher than that which could cause severe influence ".

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/qual-e-lefficacia-della-terza-dose-girotondo-virale-di-esperti/ on Tue, 16 Nov 2021 12:35:29 +0000.