Category: Italy
Italy: ALL workers must have a Covid vaccination or negative test
The Italian government has today made it obligatory for ALL workers either to show proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from infection.
The new rules will come into force on Oct 15 in the latest effort by Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s broad coalition to persuade people to get inoculated and blunt contagion in one of the countries worst-hit by the virus.
Any worker who fails to present a valid health certificate will be suspended on no pay, but cannot be sacked, according to a draft of the decree seen by Reuters. The full details are due to be published later in the day.
Sonia Battaglia dead: she went into a coma a few days after the AstraZeneca #coronavirus vaccine
Italy to make Covid-19 vaccinations compulsory
Mario Draghi, Italian Prime MInister: ‘Yes to compulsory vaccination and the third dose’. ‘Orientation of the government is to extend the green pass. The government goes on. ‘ Come on no vax hateful violence. Green pass is going well ‘. ‘At the end of September we will be at 80%. I reiterate the invitation to immunize.
Image by Julia Casado from Pixabay
Preprint: Molecular evidence for SARS-CoV-2 in samples collected since late summer 2019 in Lombardy
435 samples from 156 cases were investigated. RNA isolated from oropharyngeal swabs and urine was screened by hemi-nested PCRs targeting key sites for viral typing. Molecular evidence for SARS-CoV-2 infection was found in 13 subjects. Two patients were from the pandemic period (2/12, 16·7%, March 2020-March 2021) and 11 were from the pre-pandemic period (11/44, 25%, August 2019-February 2020).
Five of the positive individuals showed the simultaneous presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. No clear evidence of infection was found in 281 samples collected between August 2018 and July 2019 from 100 patients. The first positivity for SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in a sample collected on September 12, 2019. Mutations typical of B.1 (PANGOLIN classification) strains, previously reported to have emerged in January 2020, had already been circulating in October 2019. Hence, we estimate SARS-CoV-2 progenitor of known human infections to have emerged in late June-late August 2019.
Preprint: Molecular Evidence for SARS-CoV-2 in Samples Collected From Patients With Morbilliform Eruptions Since Late Summer 2019 in Lombardy, Northern Italy
The waxing and waning of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe shows new danger areas emerging
Europe has seen major changes in coronavirus case rates over the last two months. In many areas of Europe covid case rates have dropped sufficiently to allow restrictions to be eased, but there are notable exceptions. The Covid-19 rate in Spain now appears to be as bad, if not worse, than two months ago, and the Netherlands has seen a dramatic increase in numbers recently.
In the case of both Spain and the Netherlands, the rates increased following the decision to unlock their countries too quickly, and in both cases those decisions have had to reversed within weeks. Greece too appears to be seeing a new wave, and these areas now represent the largest threat to Europe’s strategy to keeping infection rates down.
Spain: 5th wave of coronavirus storms across the country, curfews set to be reintroduced
Netherlands: the reproduction R rate is now 2.17 – the highest since February 2020
Italy: WHO retests patient samples from September 2019 that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific antibodies
Samples from a study suggesting the coronavirus was circulating outside China by October 2019 have been retested at the World Health Organization’s request, two scientists who led the Italian research said. “The WHO asked us if we could share the biological material and if we could re-run the tests in an independent laboratory. We accepted,” Giovanni Apolone, scientific director of one of the lead institutions, the Milan Cancer Institute (INT), said.
The original Italian study was titled “Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the prepandemic period in Italy“
From that study: “SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific antibodies were detected in 111 of 959 (11.6%) individuals, starting from September 2019 (14%), with a cluster of positive cases (>30%) in the second week of February 2020 and the highest number (53.2%) in Lombardy.”
#Coronavirus was already spreading in #France in late December 2019
Traces of #coronavirus have been found in samples taken from sewage in Milan and Turin in DECEMBER 2019, according to a study by Italy’s Higher Health Institute (ISS).
The first officially confirmed case of #COVID19 in Italy was on 31 January 2020.https://t.co/fjEBdrTgjF
— Corona Heads Up (@CoronaHeadsUp) June 19, 2020
Spain: SARS-CoV-2 #coronavirus found in Barcelona sewage in March 2019
Unexpected detection of #SARSCoV2 antibodies in Italy in September 2019
Photo by Matteo Raimondi on Unsplash
Italy: Augusta Turiaco, 55yr old music teacher from Messina, died two weeks after AstraZeneca #coronavirus vaccination
55-year-old Augusta Turiaco, from Messina, Sicily, received her COVID jab on 11 March before her condition worsened in the days following her vaccination. The music teacher was keen to receive a jab as she worked with young people and even expressed her joy at getting the dose in a Facebook post, writing “fatto” – the Italian word for “done”.
See also “Hippocratic Oath” on Wikipedia
It is often said that the exact phrase “First do no harm” (Latin: Primum non nocere) is a part of the original Hippocratic oath. Although the phrase does not appear in the AD 245 version of the oath, similar intentions are vowed by, “I will abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm”. The phrase primum non nocere is believed to date from the 17th century.
Another equivalent phrase is found in Epidemics, Book I, of the Hippocratic school: “Practice two things in your dealings with disease: either help or do not harm the patient”.
Italy: 75yr old Francesca Vizzini dies following AstraZeneca vaccination
“The causes of the death of Francesca Paola Vizzini, 75, who died on Sunday after the 118 doctors had tried in vain to revive her, are all to be clarified. His family presented a complaint to the carabinieri of the Uditore station and the Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation, also arranging an autopsy, which was performed today.
Although the woman, as reported by her relatives, had received the Astrazeneca vaccine last Tuesday at the Fair, the deputy prosecutor Ennio Petrigni and the deputy Claudio Camilleri, who coordinate the investigation, have not yet involved the special task force. regional deputy to study hypothetical links between deaths and vaccines and this precisely because at the moment it is not known exactly what caused the death of the old woman, a fact that will have to be clarified by the autopsy.
The woman, who allegedly suffered from hypertension, had received the Astrazeneca vaccine last Tuesday and allegedly experienced the normal symptoms of fatigue and arm pain expected in these cases. In the evening she would also have a sense of nausea and her sister would have given her something against vomiting. A home cure that would have given its effects.
Subsequently, Vizzini would also have had a fever and, even in this case, she would have been given Tachipirina at home. On Saturday 10th, 118 would have been called for the first time, but the lady would have refused to go to the doctor or to the hospital. During the night she allegedly suffered abdominal pain and when an ambulance was called again on Sunday morning, attempts to revive her had proved futile. ”
Italy: 26 yr old woman in hospital in Milan after Astrazeneca #coronavirus vaccination
A 26-year-old woman on April 13 was in fact hospitalized in a reserved prognosis at the Milan Polyclinic, after vaccination against Covid with AstraZeneca vaccine.
According to what is learned, the twenty-six year old is hospitalized at the Milan Polyclinic with cerebral thrombosis . The girl, according to the hospital, “is conscious and responds to therapies . She is in conditions considered stable, even if the prognosis remains confidential and is kept under close observation”. The hospitalization at the Milan Polyclinic was necessary because her situation was serious, also for this reason the patient was sent to the Thrombosis Center led by Flora Peyvandi, reference structure.
Italian study: 66.6% of children of had at least one persisting #coronavirus symptom between 60 & 120 days after infection (13 had one or two symptoms, 7 had three or more)
Twenty out of 30 children (66.6%) assessed between 60 and 120 days after initial COVID-19 had at least one persisting symptom (13 had one or two symptoms, 7 had three or more); 35 of 68 children (27.1%) had at least one symptom 120 days or more after diagnosis (21 had one or two symptoms, 14 had three or more). 29 out of the 68 (42.6%) children assessed >120 days days from diagnosis were still distressed by these symptoms.
Wiley.com: Preliminary Evidence on Long Covid in children
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
EU: ECHR throws fuel on the #coronavirus vaccination fire – backs mandatory jabs for kids
The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Thursday that democratic governments can make vaccinations obligatory, in a landmark judgement rejecting complaints brought by Czech families penalised for refusing compulsory jabs for their children.
“The… measures could be regarded as being ‘necessary in a democratic society'” the court ruled, saying that the Czech health policy was consistent with the “best interests” of children.
Our opinion: ** Is there an easier or quicker way of antagonising parents in the middle of a global viral pandemic than encouraging mandatory vaccinations? We can’t think of one. Expect severe blowback **
Emergence of N antigen SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants escaping detection of antigenic #coronavirus tests
While conducting a large validation study on the Abbott Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag test, we noticed that some swab samples failed to generate a positive result in spite of a high viral load in Rt-PCR assays.
Sequencing analysis of viruses showing discordant results in the RT-PCR and antigen assays revealed the presence of multiple disruptive amino-acid substitutions in the N antigen (the viral protein detected in the antigen test) clustered from position 229 to 374 a region known to contain an immunodominant epitope. A relevant fraction of the variants, undetected by the antigen test, contained the mutations A376T coupled to M241I.
Intriguingly we found that virus sequences with this mutation were over-represented in the antigen-test-negative and PCR-positive samples and progressively increased in frequency over time in Veneto, a region of Italy that has aggressively scaled up the utilization of antigen tests, which reached nearly 68% of all the SARS-CoV-2 swab assays performed there. We speculate that mass utilization of antigen assays could create a selection pressure on the target that may favor the spread of undetectable virus variants.
Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay
Italy: #coronavirus lockdown extended for another month but schools REOPEN in red zones
Italy in lockdown for another month
Until April 30th no region or province can return to the yellow zone . There will be only red or orange areas
Kindergartens, elementary and middle school open also in the red zone after Easter.
The ban on movement between regions also extended. It will be possible to cross borders only for “proven needs”- reasons of work, health and urgency,
Bars and restaurants will remain closed – with only take-out and home delivery allowed
The new cases recorded yesterday in Italy were 23,839 with 380 deaths.
Image by Samuele Schirò from Pixabay
EMA: If you have these symptoms after vaccination with AstraZeneca #coronavirus serum seek medical help immediately
“Wheezing, chest or stomach pain, swelling or coldness in an arm or leg, severe headache or worsening or blurred vision after vaccination, persistent bleeding, small multiple bruises, reddish or purplish spots or blisters of blood under the skin” – if you have these symptoms after vaccination against Covid with AstraZeneca serum seek medical help immediately and report that you have recently been vaccinated.
Image by Usman Yousaf from Pixabay
Sonia Battaglia dead: she went into a coma a few days after the AstraZeneca #coronavirus vaccine
The health conditions of Sonia Battaglia, the 54-year-old hospitalized in intensive care at the hospital of the Sea, have worsened irreversibly until her death today.
The confirmation came, hard as a boulder, from Raffaele Conte, son of Sonia Battaglia: “My mother is dead”, he tells NapoliToday. He doesn’t add anything else. Too much pain. Raffaele hoped until the last that the doctors of the hospital of the sea would be able to rescue his mother from the coma in which she had fallen. After the assessment with neurological criteria, carried out in the hospital, as per protocol, in the afternoon the death of the 54-year-old was confirmed and an autopsy was ordered.
On March 1, Sonia underwent the AstraZeneca vaccine, batch ABV5811 , which was then withdrawn throughout Italy. Initially she had not accused particular problems, but in the following days her condition had gradually worsened. At the moment, no correlation has been proven between the dose administered and the cerebral haemorrhage that hit her, then also followed by a heart attack, but the woman’s family have been asking for the truth for days.
See also “Sonia Battaglia from Naples in intensive care after an AstraZeneca vaccination batch ABV5811″
** RIP Sonia. Our condolences to your family **