In Draghi’s press conference there was some approximation too much about vaccinated and beyond. The comment of Federico Punzi, editorial director of Atlantico newspaper
We thought we had seen and heard them all from the previous government, we could not imagine from Mario Draghi, the “Competent” par excellence, the level of approximation and avoidance of yesterday, in a press conference, on such a central issue on the agenda of his government, and for the fate of the country, as the vaccination campaign.
It was really disheartening to see Draghi get confused, to show he didn’t even know his own decrees.
“One can trivialize and say: stop vaccinating those under 60, young people or children, 35-year-old psychologists. These audiences of health workers that are expanding. With what conscience a young person skips the list and gets vaccinated
”.
Too bad it was the prime minister, not many days ago, who signed the decree that imposes the obligation to vaccinate health professionals, including the thirty-five-year-old psychologist. And it is always his decree that dramatically widens the audience of “health workers” far beyond the “front line” (article 4).
Draghi shows that he does not even know what he has signed and the psychologists’ order has a good game to ridicule him: “Perhaps it is the case that the government informs itself”, declared President David Lazzari in a note, reminding the premier that “no one we asked to have priority, and it was the Government that decided the vaccination priorities, and all the health professions were included in these… even the latest decree transforms the faculty into an obligation, extended to all those enrolled in the health orders ”.
But there is more, because with this sentence the premier shows that he is unaware that for months, in addition to health care, many other categories have been indicated as priorities, regardless of age, in the “recommendations” of the Ministry of Health (led by the same Roberto Speranza whom Draghi claimed he wanted to be a minister and to esteem).
Belonging to the police, teachers, university professors. Millions of people who legitimately booked themselves. They did not “skip the line”, they were put on the list by the competent authorities, perfectly aware of all their personal data. If the list is compiled according to the wrong criteria and priorities, the fault lies with those who indicated those criteria and priorities. A chain of responsibility that goes back from the Ministry of Health to Palazzo Chigi.
Draghi should let his advisers and ministers explain it: in addition to the thirty-five-year-old psychologist, the fifty-year-old teacher and the not yet thirty-year-old graduate student, as well as teachers in smartworking, and even the administrators of hospitals and universities (certainly not on the front line). Called to get vaccinated by their employers, perhaps they should have refused
Right or wrong, there was no prevarication. All the responsibilities can be attributed to the Regions, which have done nothing but follow the national guidelines. And even if they are not respecting the new guidelines, who is responsible for calling them to order
This opening to the categories, in derogation from the priorities for seniority, has considerably delayed the vaccination of the age groups most at risk, over-80 and seventy. But President Draghi still seems to be ignorant of the cause.
Already two weeks ago, speaking to the Chambers, the premier had tried to unload the barrel on the regions: “While some regions follow the provisions of the Ministry of Health, others neglect their elders in favor of groups that have priority probably on the basis of some of their bargaining force “.
But as we have already reported in Atlantico Quotidiano, the strategic mistake was committed upstream and centrally. When, on January 30, Aifa authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine, it advised against it for the over-55s (threshold then raised to 65). So what do we do with the AZ doses
We start vaccinating by categories, regardless of age. From that moment on, the Italian vaccination plan has become dual, ie it has followed a double track: over-70s vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna, while doses of AstraZeneca have begun to be used for categories deemed “strategic”. As a result, Italy quickly moved on to vaccinating teachers, magistrates, lawyers, hospital administrative staff and other public employees, when it was far from completing vaccination of 80-year-olds and 70-year-olds.
“Today – declared the esteemed Minister Speranza on 9 February – the first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrive in all Italian regions. They will be administered to the population between 18 and 55 years old. We will be able to start protecting those who work in schools, universities, law enforcement agencies and other exposed categories ”.
An error induced by AIFA but uncritically endorsed by the national government, first Conte then Draghi (until a few days ago), because Aifa had “suggested a preferential use” of AstraZeneca in subjects between 18 and 55 years, not excluding the age groups. older age. It should have been clear from the start that if AstraZeneca were not used for the elderly, the imbalance would be automatic, inevitable.
When the accumulated delay was noticed, the limit to the use of AstraZeneca for the over-65s disappeared. “Now get vaccinated only for age”, the new head of Civil Protection Fabrizio Curcio warned a couple of weeks ago. But immediately the problem arose of what to do with those belonging to the categories who in the meantime were receiving doses regardless of age. Leave them halfway, only partially covered
In order not to create further injustices, it was decided to complete the vaccination of those categories, so there was no real breakthrough.
And this brings us to Draghi’s second disheartening sentence:
“The time has come to make decisions about age ranges for vaccinations. If we reduce the risk of death in the classes most exposed to risk, it is clear that it reopens with more tranquility. The availability of vaccines is there. It’s about making choices ”.
So, we have entered the fourth month of the vaccination campaign and Draghi is telling us that “the time has come …”
Now
a decision to that effect had not already been taken
. ‘was no appreciable change of course. The will of the premier, and of Commissioner Figliuolo, to give priority to the age groups most at risk has not yet materialized in rules and guidelines consistent with the new objective.
(Extract from an article published on atlanticoquotidiano.it)
