The administration of the third doses proceeds slowly on the Island. For now, only 20% of the over 80s have received the recall of the Covid vaccine (against 30% of the Italian average), but the percentages plummet in the other age groups: coverage drops to 5% in the seventies and to 4% in the sixties.
Even in the rest of the country the numbers are not as expected, and perhaps also for this reason the Minister of Health has widened the audience: from 1 December all over 40s will be able to book the dose of "booster", as long as they have completed the vaccination cycle for at least six months.
Reservations
On the island, vaccination hubs are slowly being repopulated. At the moment the third dose is recommended for all people over 60 years, for guests of the RSA, for healthcare personnel, for frail patients (of age) and immunosuppressed people.
Many, before receiving the "booster", complete the analyzes to know the dosage of the antibodies. "But it is a useless, insignificant examination: at the moment we do not know what the minimum level is to guarantee coverage", explains Gabriele Mereu, head of the epidemiology and prophylaxis of the Ats-Assl of Cagliari.
For the administration it is necessary to book on the portal of the Italian Post Office, through the dedicated call center or in the ATMs of the Post Office. However, it is not mandatory to make an appointment in the hubs for those who are still waiting for the first or second dose. "The goal is to reach 90% coverage by the end of the year: a milestone within reach, especially if new restrictions come along, such as the mandatory vaccine to obtain the Green pass," says Mereu.
The strategies
Since the beginning of the emergency in Sardinia, over 2.5 million administrations have been carried out. 83.7% of the audience aged 12 and over have completed the vaccination cycle, 2.5% are waiting for the second dose, but there is a "hard core" who has no intention of immunizing against Covid.
In France, President Macron announced that the Green pass will be issued to over 65s only after the third dose. And in other countries, too, a squeeze is expected. News could arrive in Italy in the next few hours. The hypothesis of granting the certificate only to vaccinated people is also gaining ground: a move that could be planned to reach and exceed 90% coverage.
(Unioneonline)
More details on L'Unione Sarda on newsstands