Will we use salivary swabs at school?
In recent days, the League has been promoting a massive use of salivary swabs in schools, seen as a useful tool to keep infections under control and immediately stop any outbreaks. On 25 August, for example, Matteo Salvini, a guest at Agorà on Rai3, praised (min.6:25) two councilors of the Marche Region – Filippo Saltamartini (Health) and Giorgia Latini (Education), both of the Lega – for the purchase of 500 thousand salivary tests “for pupils and teachers, for the reopening of schools”.
As we have explained, however, the League’s plan is rather confusing at the moment. In fact, it is not clear which salivary swabs it refers to: there are molecular ones, which are more sensitive but require rather lengthy laboratory analyzes, or antigenic ones, which are less reliable but with more immediate results – and to whom they will have to be administered.
The most feasible hypothesis seems to be to subject the students who have come into contact with a positive case to the salivary test, in order to isolate and quarantine only those who have contracted the virus and not the whole class. Alternatively, some Northern League exponents, including the Marche Region Councilor for Education Giorgia Latini, have proposed that even the antigenic salivary tests (the less reliable but faster ones) are recognized as valid for the green pass.
Some Regions, such as Veneto, are also moving to carry out sweep tests in a series of institutes in order to “constantly monitor the level of circulation of Covid”, an idea that, according to press sources, ISS is also working .As anticipated, at the moment the government has not set up a systematic screening or monitoring program in schools, and therefore there are no sweeping checks.In conclusion
Between 6 and 20 September, Italian students will return to class, in the true sense of the word: this year, in fact, lessons will begin 100% in person, a modality that the government hopes to be able to maintain throughout the school year. .
One of the most important innovations is the mandatory use of the green pass for school staff (and university students): at the moment this measure is formally active only in Italy, even if other European countries – such as Greece and some German Länder – have required unvaccinated staff to carry out an anti-Covid test at least twice a week.
Furthermore, the Privacy Guarantor has not rejected the use of the green pass at school, but only the adoption of discriminatory behavior towards non-vaccinated people (green certification can also be obtained by presenting a negative swab or a recent recovery certificate).
In any case, it is also important to consider that according to the latest data, more than 80 percent of school staff are completely immunized. As for students, however, we remind you that vaccinating as many people as possible, in all age groups, is essential to contain the worst effects of the pandemic that has been going on for almost two years now.