“Not admitting a patient just because they have a positive swab is inadmissible. It shows disorganization and anachronism, because it says that one is not dynamically devoted to what is the situation today ".

Professor, patients could not be assisted in the intensive care of San Martino because this is a non-Covid hospital. On the other hand, it seems there were no places available in the Covid structures of Sardinia ...

"Look, there is no such thing as a hospital today that can be classified as non-Covid. With the circulation of the virus present in Italy at the moment, classifying as a non-Covid means classifying as a non-hospital ".

But this is the subdivision that is made.

"But it's wrong, I've been saying this for some time."

Professor Matteo Bassetti has been repeating this for a while. "Whoever enters the hospital for another problem other than Covid, but has a positive swab without having any symptoms, should be considered on a par with all the other patients. It must be isolated, clearly, but it cannot be considered as a Covid pathology and put in the daily bulletin ".

At the point of the bulletin, the words of the director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the San Martino hospital in Genoa endorse the line of the Regions that press the government to change the rules on risk thresholds and on the passage of color. But, beyond a possible reassessment of the criteria for compiling the reports on the progress of the epidemic, it is incredible that the chatter on the subject eventually obscures the real problem: hospitals are again occupied militarily by Covid cases (mostly not vaccinated) and there are no beds for patients with other pathologies, positive for the swab but asymptomatic.

"In short, today we have a prevalence (ie the number of current positives, ed ) around 5.10% of the Italian population. It means that 5.10% of those who go to hospital may have a positive swab and for this they must have a path of treatment and assistance. It is not that we can say no, I do not put the plaster on you, or I do not operate on you, because you are infected even if asymptomatic. At this point the positive swab is a stigma ».

Covid and not Covid: the hospital network has been divided in this way since the beginning of the pandemic. Why do you say you have to change?

«Because it is the current situation that requires it. I repeat, with the circulation of the virus that we have today in Italy, saying that you do not hospitalize someone because they are positive for the swab shows only disorganization and anachronism ".

Are you saying that a case like the one in Oristano wouldn't have happened in your hospital?

“Such a thing would never have happened. It cannot happen because the patient who enters and has a positive swab and is asymptomatic will follow a path that certainly is that of Covid, but will have to be treated for his underlying disease. If, for example, he has heart problems he will go to cardiology and somehow be treated in an area of that ward set up for Covid. I repeat, it is only a problem of organization ».

The problem arises when there are no beds in the Covid network.

"If they are not there, they must be created, because today a positive swab patient who has another disease must necessarily be considered non-Covid as regards assistance. Sure, you have to put him in a separate room from the others, but you have to assist him just like everyone else. Just get organized ».

The Italian Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care warns the Ministry: immediately new guidelines to be able to operate positive patients or it will be chaos.

“That's what I've been saying for some time. Those who enter the hospital with a positive swab, and are asymptomatic and vaccinated, must be classified within the hospital as one who must be isolated but cannot be considered Covid sick. The Ministry must change this classification because if we continue like this we will see many cases like that of Oristano ».

The emergency is returning: by now there are many postponed interventions.

"Inadmissible. A patient colonized by the virus must be able to be operated on exactly like a negative patient. Inside the hospital there must obviously be dedicated paths to operate, subject to a plaster cast, or give birth to a woman, but that's what we have to do in this phase of living with the virus ".

Because?

"Because in the future there will be more and more patients with positive swabs, even when we have less Covid pneumonia. I believe the government needs to do something and quickly. The more time passes, the more certain tragedies will happen ».

Piera Serusi

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