COVID-19 vaccine mandates: what are the current European public perspectives?

The article aims to elaborate on European policy choices for the prevention of SARS­CoV­2 contagion, with a close focus on the rules and regulations enacted in Italy so far. European states have ruled out generalized vaccination mandates but have so far preferred to exert a form of "moral suasion", through the introduction of a digital certificate which can only be granted to those who are vaccinated, cured of COVID-19 or tested negative through an antigen test in the previous 48 hours. Italy has applied this tool, dubbed "Green Pass", very rigorously: many daily activities, including going to work, are only allowed for those who have the certificate. A one-year Green Pass is issued after vaccination, although data show that vaccine protection may subside gradually over about six months; the cost of the antigen tests every 48 hours is to be borne by the patient. Testing the unvaccinated is essential to contain the spread of the infection, but it would have been more logical to mandate that all the unvaccinated undergo regular testing (for example every ten days), instead of imposing a test every 48 hours only to be allowed to engage in some activities. The authors stress that in order to minimize the risk of future possible pandemics, prevention strategies are needed, and poor countries need to be enabled to vaccinate their populations in order to prevent new variants from developing. The pledges made by world leaders in that regard during the recent G20 summit must therefore be honored, for the sake of global health that never in our lifetime has been so threatened.

How patient age affects triage in the Covid-19 pandemic

The Author draws upon a set of guidelines issued by the Italian Society of Anaesthesia, Analgesia, Reanimation and Intensive Care (ISAARIC) and discusses the role played by patient age, at the triage stage, as the Covid-19 pandemic relentlessly unfolds. The limiting standard for admitting patients to intensive care units that best serves in terms of transparency and equality is the "first come, first served" approach;yet, in times of pandemic, patient age carries substantial weight in that selection process. In order to avoid wasting available resources and to treat as many patients as possible, therapies are discontinued for patients who do not seem to positively respond to them (as it frequently happens with elderly patients) and given to those with better chances of survival. Age is even more relevant in relation to the prognosis-based standard. Preexisting conditions, commonly associated with old age, could preclude access to intensive care. In order to avoid age-based discrimination, a) age should constitute but one standard through which the patient's chances of survival are determined;b) residual life expectancy should be disregarded;c) patients should never be cut off from receiving intensive care based on their age alone. Considering the primacy of the right to life over any other, it could be deemed ethically admissible to exclude patients, from receiving intensive care, only after the government institutions have taken any possible organizational measure, aimed at broadening health care access, while avoiding wasteful spending in the public provision of services. © 2021, William S. Hein & Co., Inc.. All rights reserved.

The COVID-19 pandemic and contact tracing technologies, between upholding the right to health and personal data protection.

Countries responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with various levels of restrictions and lockdown in an effort to save lives and prevent the saturation and collapse of national health systems. Unfortunately, the blockades have entailed hefty socioeconomic costs. In order to contrast the spread of the virus, states have used contact tracing technology, in the form of mobile phone applications designed to track close contacts of those infected with COVID-19. Recent research has shown the effectiveness of this solution, particularly when used in conjunction with manual tracking. Nonetheless, the contact tracing app raises concerns due to the potential privacy implications. The authors have delved into the European legislation that protects privacy through the principles of proportionality and minimization, arguing that in order to quickly resolve the pandemic caused by COVID-19, one cannot blindly trust the exclusive help of technology. Instead, we need the involvement of health personnel, scientists, and no less importantly, the citizenry's sense of solidarity and the duty to abide by the rules of social distancing, the use of protective devices and hygiene rules to protect public health.

Commentary - CRISPR-based techniques: Cas9, Cas13 and their applications in the era of COVID-19.

The CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9) system enables scientists to edit diverse genome types with relative ease, with the aim - in the near future - to prevent future human beings from developing genetic diseases. The new opportunities arising from the system are broad-ranging and revolutionary, but such prospects have also been the cause for alarm throughout the international scientific community. The authors have laid out a review of the trials carried out so far in terms of genome editing, for the ultimate purpose of weighing implications and criticisms. We feel that possible valuable alternatives, such as induced pluripotent stem cells should not be overlooked.