Covid, 8 thousand cases but empty intensive care units. For Bassetti: "It should no longer be scary"

For several weeks now, COVID-19 has returned to bother the summer in our country and the rest of the world. With the increase in cases, the appeals of expert virologists, such as Matteo Bassetti, are also becoming more frequent.

Bassetti: “It shouldn’t be scary anymore, just talk about it”

These experts ask to put aside the alarmism and treat the virus like all the others known for decades. Recent estimates, for example, speak of almost 9 thousand infections in Italy on July 19, an increase of 62% compared to the previous week. However, there are no admissions to intensive care and there are only 177 hospitalizations in ordinary wards.

Covid and Alarmism: Matteo Bassetti's Statements

Interviewed by TgCom24, Matteo Bassetti clarified that we are not facing a new wave, but the normal circulation of the virus. According to Bassetti, the media attention on COVID-19 is not justifiable, since today it causes flu-like infections for most people.

Precautions for Fragile Categories

Bassetti emphasizes that it is important to continue taking precautions for the most fragile categories, such as the elderly and the immunocompromised. He recommends the use of masks in case of contact with these people, frequent hand hygiene and vaccination next fall. However, he reiterates that the COVID-19 of 2024 should not be scary, being now comparable to a flu, unlike 2020 when it was pneumonia.

The Impact of Antibodies and the Evolution of Treatment

Today, when the virus strikes, it finds antibodies and does not easily reach the lungs like in 2020. This is because our way of fighting the virus has changed and we are better prepared. Bassetti insists on abandoning invasive therapies such as cortisone, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, since treating the virus like in 2020 is now wrong.

Other Experts: Signorelli and Pregliasco's Opinions

Carlo Signorelli, interviewed by Quotidiano Sanità, also reiterates that COVID-19 has reached an endemic form, devoid of the seasonality of respiratory disorders. Alarms about COVID-19 should focus on intensive care admissions and not on simple infections.

Fabrizio Pregliasco, on the other hand, explains that the virus has become immunoevasive, which means that our body does not easily recognize it despite the acquired immunity. This explains the current peak in infections, even if the virus remains less aggressive and harmful than in 2020.