• Discos, mid-August close on Emilia-Romagna and Veneto
  • Coronavirus: 574 new infections and 3 deaths in Italy in the last 24 hours

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August 15, 2020 "I am not optimistic, it seems clear to me that within 10-20 days we will reach at least one thousand positive cases per day. What cannot be explained is that the more the new positives increase, the more the chances of having patients in intensive care. And to see an increase in deaths, unfortunately ". To speak, in an interview with the Messaggero, is Professor Andrea Crisanti, professor of Microbiology at the University of Padua and protagonist, before the cooling of the relationship with the governor Zaia, of the Veneto model, for months he has been fighting against those who are doing pass the message that it's all over, that the virus no longer exists.

"They have caused enormous damage. Unfortunately, we are already seeing, day by day, an increase in intensive care patients in Italy. They are still sustainable numbers, but we must look at what will happen with this constant increase in cases - he adds - Unfortunately the dynamics of the epidemic is now clear, the pace of growth is constant, it seems unlikely that we will be able to slow down. Of course, as always happens, we will have a decline on Sunday and Monday, with the data referring to the weekend when execution slows down tampons, but the trend is consolidated ".

According to Crisanti, the number of deaths "can be misleading. Let's look at what is happening in the United States. In simple terms: the deaths always come later. First there is an increase in infections, then, after 20-30 days, that of deaths". For this reason "it would have been very important to try to reach the goal of zero infections, it was close at hand, we failed".

"Discos should be closed, they shouldn't have opened"
"I don't understand this thing about open discos. They should be closed immediately, and I'm sorry for the entrepreneurs and for those who work there. Not only should they be closed, but they really shouldn't have opened ", adds Crisanti. "First of all it is very difficult to maintain social distancing. Also, the activity in a disco increases deep breathing, people go into anaerobic conditions, they move, they need to breathe a lot more. This facilitates infections. example of a rugby player during a match has infected many other players. And forgive me: indoor or outdoor disco, little change "

" Measures had to be taken on cases of return, activate the checks first and prepare protocols "
" In my opinion both the number of outbreaks and their vastness will increase. - underlines the expert - But the truth is that this summer we had to get close to zero cases. It would have been possible. I do not know, for example, why we did not take the countermeasures to limit the cases of return. I am not talking about immigrants, who are a very marginal part, I am thinking of those who return from holidays to other European countries, for example. Controls had to be activated first, protocols. If necessary also close the borders. The breaking point will be when the outbreaks, in terms of size and number, manage to overwhelm the responsiveness of the health system. We will move from hotbed transmission to diffuse transmission. I'm sorry, but at that point it will have to be clear that the zones, the areas, where this happens will have to be closed immediately. There will be no alternative to local lockdowns.

"" Very frankly, at the cost of making enemies: it was wrong not to foresee gradual reopening, different from region to region. Furthermore, we have dropped our pants in the face of the needs of the tourism industry. It was necessary to limit travel within Italy, if necessary, but also from Italy to other European countries ".