Omicron less dangerous but much more infectious: "Five rules for a safe Christmas"
“First of all you need to get vaccinated”. And protect the elderly, here's how
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The Omicron variant spikes the contagion curve and pushes the Draghi government to lock down the Christmas holidays with a decree that imposes further restrictions especially on the unvaccinated.
The trend of the epidemiological curve worries everyone a little, the infectious disease specialist Stefano Vella proposes five essential rules to spend the holidays in the maximum possible safety.
«First of all you have to get vaccinated, even the first dose is needed. And run to make the third, who can. It is used to avoid getting sick even if, despite the vaccine, you take the virus because it is possible, by now it is understood - Vella lists -. Always use masks even outdoors, as established by the latest Decree of the Council of Ministers, also because these days there will necessarily be gatherings ».
Always remaining on the subject of maximum safety, «When possible and for those who can, adults and children, do a swab 24 or 48 hours before dinners or lunches. And during lunches and dinners try to stay, if possible, a little distant at the table, ventilating the rooms. Finally, try not to have too many guests in the house, especially if there are elderly people who are not yet vaccinated », concludes the infectious disease specialist Stefano Vella.
THE STUDIES ON OMICRON - The first studies confirm what was said a few days after the appearance of Omicron: infections cause mild diseases to a greater extent than previous variants. In essence, therefore, fewer infected individuals end up in hospital, compared to Delta, for example.
Imperial College London even speaks of a decrease of at least 40-45%. However, the clarification is a must, less people end up in hospital thanks to previous vaccines and infections, but no differences in the severity of the disease emerge among the hospitalized. The difference is therefore the third dose.
Another problem that must be resolved definitively, however, concerns Omicron's contagion speed: according to another work by the Imperial college, this variant reinfects 5.4 times more than Delta. Furthermore, the incubation time appears to have been reduced to just three days. This means that even if the probability of hospitalization for Omicron is lower than for Delta, hospitals risk collapse due to the high diffusivity.
(Unioneonline)
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