Contact tracing, reinforcements arrive

To be able to bend the contagion curve, just slowed down by the DPCM of the past few weeks, it is necessary to succeed in two companies in parallel: on the one hand, a series of local lockdowns which - net of controversies, the result of which will probably be only a poisoning of the wells public debate - they will try to lower the pace of growth of the pandemic, on the other hand a contact tracing of extreme importance for the immediately following phase. In relation to the closures, a lot is already being talked about and this will be the first radical intervention that will have to unload its immediate impact on existing infections; in relation to contact tracing, on the other hand, it is talked about more and more especially within the Civil Protection Department.

Arcuri, contact tracing changes gear

There are two actions taken , both of which see Commissioner Arcuri as the protagonist.

The first is in the search for new candidates for the job of tracing contacts at risk: 49,000 applications would be received for 1,500 places available. “In detail”, explains the Civil Protection, “applications were received from 9,282 doctors, 2,717 nurses, 1,982 assistants, 8,210 students and 26,545 administrators. Overall, over 60% of applications came from women, with peaks of almost 75% among students and 70% among nurses “. These names will be subdivided on a regional basis and entrusted to the bodies appointed to confer the tasks.

This is an important response that demonstrates, once again, the sense of responsibility and collective participation in dealing with the emergency. Our gratitude and that of the whole country go to doctors, nurses, health assistants, prevention technicians, university students in nursing and health disciplines and young graduates who have offered their availability. second is related to the fact that it will be up to Arcuri himself to deal with the weaknesses demonstrated so far by the Immuni app. This was explained by Minister Speranza who, answering in Parliament, explained that he had already conferred the task in recent days and that he expects immediately the organization of the call center which will have to help Italians find assistance in case of notification from the app.

The Immuni call center, in particular, will have the purpose of compensating for the shortcomings of the regional systems that have not wanted / been able to upload positive user codes to the system. Thanks to this process we should arrive at a higher number of reports, therefore a greater number of notifications, therefore a greater awareness of the relative risks. It will therefore be up to the contact tracing staff to serve those who, frightened by a notification or any symptoms, will seek health care.

To fix the contact tracing, it is not necessary to empty it, but to increase its displacement: this is what Speranza asks of Arcuri and this is what transpires from the first moves that Arcuri himself has undertaken.