1. What is an outbreak?
The classic definition refers to one, 2 or more cases of infection associated with each other, therefore that prove to have a common thread. According to Stefania Salmaso, this classification cannot apply to Covid 19 since in 30% of the situations it was domestic transmission, within the same family group that infected the contacts during isolation. The definition should be reformulated.
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2. What about the cluster?
These are cases concentrated in the same area and close in time that cannot be connected to each other. They are much feared because of the impossibility of having reliable data.
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3. Are outbreaks expected in a pandemic?
Yes, epidemic outbreaks are part of the natural evolution of a pandemic. The initial effort was to transform the generalized circulation of the virus with limited circulation in time and space. This goal was achieved with the lockdown and the adoption of individual countermeasures (distancing, mask). Now the pandemic in Italy is manifested by a series of outbreaks that must be circumscribed and extinguished. The ability of a healthcare system to hold the situation in check is measured precisely by the timeliness with which it manages to intervene on the points of re-ignition of infections and prevent them from spreading.
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4. Could the episodes that are characterizing the summer trend of the pandemic be repeated?
Yes, they are likely to repeat themselves in other areas of the country. The prevention departments in the area are working to monitor the situation locally and to intervene as soon as there is a suspicion of the risk that the virus will recover.
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5. What do the Italian outbreaks show?
That the virus continues to circulate undaunted, that summer temperatures do not inhibit it and that one must be aware of its unchanged danger, especially towards the elderly and with chronic diseases. There is for a second positive aspect: up to now the contact tracing it worked to prevent the further expansion of the infections in potentially very dangerous situations, for example in Rome (San Raffaele neurorehabilitation institute), Mondragone (buildings inhabited by Bulgarian laborers), Bologna (Bartolini company, Brt).
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6. If we are on vacation and an outbreak is reported nearby what should we do?
There is no reason to leave the post, unless instructions are given by the local administration. You should reasonably continue your holiday by emphasizing respect for safe behavior. Avoid gathering places as much as possible, wear masks indoors and if it is not possible to keep the distance of one meter even outdoors. These measures worked well during the lockdown.
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7. Could the Immuni app help?
The contagion monitoring app, which warns when we have had contacts at risk with a person who has subsequently proved positive, was downloaded by 4 million Italians, too few. If its diffusion continues to be so limited, the application loses its effectiveness. Some regions have created their own app, which has a very limited function. The government will soon make a new appeal for it immune is discharged. Says the Deputy Minister of Health, Pierpaolo Sileri: I think there are many prejudices about this app. The data are not traced and there is no filing.
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8. Why is it important to download it?
When the epidemiological investigation is started to trace the contacts of a positive case, it is not always possible to reconstruct all the movements. The app further protection.
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(They answered questions from the Courier service epidemiologists Stefania Salmaso and Massimo Ciccozzi and the infectious disease specialist Massimo Andreoni).
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June 28, 2020 (change June 28, 2020 | 07:09)
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