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While the number of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections worldwide has exceeded 6 million and the number of deaths has reached 370, one Italian physician, Alberto Zangrillo, said that, from a clinical point of view, the virus no longer exists. His words caused a storm not only in Italy but all over the world. WHO warns against thinking that “the coronavirus is over”.
Italy was the first outbreak of coronavirus in Europe. To date, 233 infections have been reported there, and 197 COVID-33 infected patients have died. Yesterday, Italians reported 475 new cases of the disease and 19 deaths. This is definitely less than at the peak of the epidemic, when over 200 were reported daily. cases and 60-6 deaths.
Italians introduced the lockdown quite late, but the restrictions were very strict – not only was there a ban on crossing the state borders, but also traveling inside the country. Now that the epidemic has been brought under control, Italians are slowly opening back to the world. And this opening was the pretext for RAI (Italian TV) to interview Alberto Zangrillo, head of the intensive care unit at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. What did Zangrillo say?
– About a month ago, we heard epidemiologists say that at the end of May or the beginning of June there will be a new wave [of cases]. In fact, from a clinical point of view, the virus no longer exists.
He also added that the COVID-19 patient samples contain far less viral loads than was the case a month ago. This, according to the doctor, is a proof that the coronavirus is mutating towards a lower virulence and is becoming less and less dangerous, even if it does become infected.
It is the degree of dilution of the material composed of cells in which the formation of new virus particles takes place, in which the solution still contains the minimum effective dose of the virus.
The doctor’s comment sparked a debate among experts in Italy as to whether the findings regarding the virulence of the coronavirus are merely anecdotal or indeed the research behind them.
The coordinator of the technical-scientific committee, Agostino Miozzo, stated that such a thesis is not supported by evidence. “Such superficial and misleading statements are definitely dangerous at the present critical moment in the transition from the closure phase not only of Italy, but also of the whole world,” assessed Miozzo.
The head of the National Health Service Council, Professor Franco Locatelli, expressed surprise and dissatisfaction. “You only need to look at the number of confirmed new cases of infection each day to have evidence of continued viral circulation in Italy,” he said.
Scientists are cautious about declaring the end of the epidemic
Dr. Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz at the University of Wollongong in Australia told MailOnline that the idea of the virus disappearance “seems questionable”. An epidemiologist warned Italy, which was still at the center of the coronavirus crisis in March, saying that the virus is still a threat.
WHO experts are skeptical about the words proclaimed by Zangrillo. Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and WHO technical manager for the COVID-19 pandemic, said nothing has changed when it comes to transmission speed and how it is getting worse. She also added that if we let go now, the coronavirus will come back and will cause severe symptoms in 20 percent people.
Dr. Michael Ryan, a WHO epidemiologist, added that we still need to be careful as thousands of people die every day from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Dr Michael Ryan, WHO
We must be extremely careful not to create the impression that the virus has suddenly “decided” that it is less pathogenic. It is not so at all.
Ryan also added that the lower number of infections in Italy is not due to the mutation of the virus (although this is not out of the question), but mainly because measures have been taken to contain the spread of the epidemic.
A WHO expert acknowledged that the virus can become less virulent over time: “New viruses in human populations can do one of two things: either they become less pathogenic or more”.
It is also worth quoting the statement of the Polish virologist prof. Krzysztof Pyrć on the mutation of coronaviruses:
– Each virus changes over time. Currently, we have closed borders and viruses in Poland evolve independently of coronaviruses, e.g. in Germany. We see variability that is slightly different in each case, but that doesn’t mean that new strains have actually emerged, ‘he explains and adds: As for SARS-CoV-2, I expect that there will indeed be separate strains over time, but that won’t happen in the near future.
If we just look at Italy as an example, one gets the impression that the epidemic is actually getting weaker and that we can slowly return to “normal”. However, it is enough to look at data from around the world and the perspective changes immediately. Only yesterday in the world there were almost 104 new cases and over 3 deaths. Most in the USA, Brazil and Our Country. The epidemic is only just gaining momentum in the latter two countries. It is still not manageable in the US.
Editors recommend:
- Coronavirus: How does Poland compare with its neighbors? We still have a lot of active COVID-19 cases
- How many COVID-19 tests are done in individual provinces? New data from the Ministry of Health
- The first infections in Europe were already in November? New French findings
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