The EOC, and in particular the Institute of Pharmacological Sciences of Italian Switzerland, has been appointed National Reference Center for the analysis of side effects to Covid vaccines19. How did you get this prestigious role?

"It is probably the consequence of several factors including the good reputation of our center in terms of skills, reliability and quality of the work performed, as well as a certain organizational speed and foresight: we have already activated in summer 2020 with a proposal rather innovative and detailed on how to create a diversified monitoring system for the safety of Covid vaccines, when the prospect of vaccines, in particular on the timing, was still uncertain ».

What conclusions have you reached at the moment? Are the side effects of vaccines what you expected in terms of quantity, severity and type?

«Most of the side effects of the anti-Covid vaccines used in Switzerland are those that were known from the large clinical studies that led to the approval and therefore we expected them. These are for example pain and redness at the site of the sting, fatigue, headache or bone and muscle aches, sometimes chills or fever. Reactions usually disappear spontaneously, or with symptomatic treatment, after a few days. Let's not forget that these side effects are also a sign that the vaccine is working and that the body is building an immune response ».

 Do you confirm their safety? What would you say to those who are undecided about whether to get vaccinated or not?

“The safety of vaccines used in Switzerland observed in clinical studies has been confirmed by the results in the real world. On the basis of what has been observed so far, I confirm that the relationship between risks and benefits of these vaccines is undoubtedly favorable, in particular for those groups of the population that are more vulnerable such as the elderly or those suffering from certain diseases. To those who are undecided, I would say that it is normal and legitimate to want to make an informed decision about the vaccine. I would therefore recommend reading up on reliable sources ».

Is the role of EOC with respect to vaccines limited to surveillance?

"Regarding vaccines, and more generally the pandemic, a lot of research has gone into EOC, which has also received prestigious results at an international level. We are currently studying the effect of vaccines on dialysis patients, cancer patients, the elderly and other specific groups. This type of activity is functional to obtaining a better understanding of the functioning and efficacy of vaccines and of the immune response for different categories of people. These are important elements in order to better plan the strategy to protect people from Covid 19 ».

Recently the EOC was included in the EUVAP - European Vaccine Trial Accelerator Platform network. What is it and what does this recognition mean for the organization?

"This is an important opportunity to make a concrete scientific contribution by participating in advanced clinical trials on Covid 19 vaccines. The studies will focus on populations for which there is a relative lack of data, such as pregnant women, immunosuppressed people and possibly young people. . It will be possible to carry out research with innovative approaches, possibly with combinations of different vaccines also aimed at a better control of variant.

You have done a lot of research on Covid 19. What conclusions have you reached? What is relevant in your opinion? Do they change the approach to prevention and treatment of Covid 19?

"The spread of Coronavirus has forced the medical-scientific community to do research on the subject with unprecedented speed and breadth. This work has made it possible, for example, to study processes in the midst of a pandemic to guarantee quality care for both Covid 19 patients and those with other problems; to identify commonly used drugs to fight the disease; to design specific diagnostic-therapeutic paths for Covid 19 patients with concomitant pathologies or risk factors, and much more. These are not abstract results, but it could be said that clinical and laboratory research has improved the response of our hospitals to the pandemic, as well as allowing healthcare and patients to be effectively protected from contagion ”.

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