Mantua, still all queuing for the vaccine. Azzi: I will arrive at 12 hours of opening

MANTUA. Still people lined up at the Grana Padano Arena, waiting to receive the anti-Covid vaccine. The wait was up to three hours in the middle of the day on Friday 10 (which registered another 172 positive swabs); in the afternoon things improved slightly and those who had reservations for 5pm were forced to just (so to speak) an hour’s queue. «We are late and it is undeniable – says the general director of Asst Mara Azzi – But we try to do our best in the face of a shortage of vaccinators. We are looking for more and are also trying to reorganize the service to avoid people waiting outside in the cold. But it is difficult. Let’s see what we can do. I have some ideas, such as extending the opening hours up to 20 in order to be able to vaccinate for twelve consecutive hours, and to find other doctors. 14 would be needed in the morning and the same number in the afternoon ».

At the Mantua hub, 16 nurses were on duty in the morning and 16 in the afternoon; as for the doctors, nine were present in the morning, “while in the afternoon it is difficult to quantify them – says the director – as they always change, given that the volunteers and doctors who have finished their shift in hospital arrive”. There are 16 vaccine lines, but they don’t always work at the same time. “I’m very worried and it makes me sick to see people queuing up, especially the elderly, in the cold,” confesses Azzi. He explains: «We are recruiting medical personnel to do the medical history. They should do 14 per hour, but sometimes it drops to just four because there are those who argue with the doctor and those who do not want the vaccine that is proposed. The problem with queues is also the people who have an appointment at 11 and, for fear of long waits, show up at 8 am. 9.30 you must arrive at 9 ».

The search for doctors is increasingly problematic: «The medical staff is few and we cannot remove them from the wards – says Azzi – This time we have not closed even a ward. I asked the department heads if they can find doctors. Last year we had postgraduates, but this year we no longer have them because activity in the universities has resumed. We are also talking to cooperatives to get doctors. It should also be emphasized that we are only vaccinating ourselves since the individuals we asked for help do not have staff. We also vaccinate people at home at the request of the family doctor and the disabled in the structures ».

Long queues of patients waiting in the cold have also been reported in recent days at the Castel Goffredo hub. Last Thursday, for example, many complaints came from people, including many elderly people, who had stood in line in the cold for almost 4 hours. To manage the vaccination center is a coop of family doctors from Bergamo, the Lombard Medical Initiative, which has entered into an agreement directly with Ats.