Franco Maria Bonagoro: “The long-term positives develop variables”

Covid variables are worrying and science is trying to confront them. An important announcement arrives from Erice, where the congress of the Italian Society of Virology (Siv) is being held. “In the long-term positives of the SARS-CoV-2 molecular test – says Franco Maria Bonajoro, director of the International School of Molecular Oncology at the Ettore Majorana Foundation in Iris and among the conference organizers – new viral variants develop that, without giving symptoms, remain in the bodies of people with suppression Immunity is mostly for several months لعدة. These variants also find alternative entry routes to the ACE2 receptor, with the potential to spread to all organs.”

In short, the virus continues to penetrate the human body and doctors are studying countermeasures. “The positive news emerging from the conference – explains Buonaguro – is that existing Covid-19 vaccines are well protected against variants circulating in the population, including the delta variant, and the duration of protection is certainly longer than initially feared. Vaccines are currently the only truly effective means. To eradicate the virus.” For this reason, mass immunization activities must be intensified. “Only if 80% of the population has completed the vaccination course by summer – Buonaguro continues – the fourth wave of infection will be avoided in early autumn and there will be a return to normal.” In the meantime, he warns, it is essential to continue to use Covid-19 preventive measures such as social distancing, use of masks (personal protective equipment), hand disinfection, and sterilization of environments.”

The conference brought together eminent representatives of the Italian scientific community of virology. It saw the participation of more than 400 employees with 119 speakers. Organizers and speakers in the academic, health and research structures of the most prestigious national institutions, they are joined by international colleagues including Guido Silvestri, one of the most prestigious Italian researchers abroad, Director of the Department of Emory University, Atlanta-USA. The main theme of the Covid-19 pandemic was accompanied by topics on oncoviruses, environmental/plant and animal viruses, related to many ramifications from animals (mostly bats as in the case of MERS and Ebola) to humans. Infectious pathologists and experimental oncologists contributed to the event to conduct studies on oncolytic viruses.

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