Lazio club doctor and health director Ivo Pulcini has given a lengthy interview to Italian radio station Radio Punto Nuovo about the situation in training, as the club return to Formello with things slowly returning to normal in the wake of Covid-19. Pulcini spoke on several topics, including the level of testing undertaken at the club to ensure the players and staff are virus-free.
“I can’t go into details because I am not authorized, but in a general sense, scientific news starts from an assumption. Coronavirus is handled by humans and has had a very high degree of contagion but 90% of people recover naturally.”
“As soon as there was an alarm we were the first to send the players home and protect their health, I did it without even respecting the etiquette ethic and without warning the hosts. I did it because I wanted to protect the players and the boys appreciated it. My decision was accompanied by a string of preventative measures to strengthen their immune system and isolate them, forcing them to take Vitamin C and Vitamin D and an Aspirinetta in the evening.”
“The boys were excellent, they followed the provisions of the law and technical staff to the letter, they didn’t even go to the gas station. If I’m lucky to have a president who sanitizes the environment, none of his players are sick.”
“Formello is no longer a sports center, but an operating room. What should I do more? I also have to remove the masks that create damage, they have a vast territory with 50 independent beds, three gyms, three medical offices, and 19 changing rooms. They are more protected in Formello than at home or in a clinic. Of course, we all leave together or we do not leave, we have 4 independent entrances to Lazio and if there is a positive test, he will be isolated so that he does not come into contact with anyone. We can embrace each other and do everything because they are all healthy.”
“We take serological tests every 4 days, changing the type of test to avoid false negatives or false positives. I respect the experts, the virologists with whom I am constantly in contact, but a solution of this type only creates problems: as we go on in the heat, the already invisible droplets dissolve and do not reach 1 meter, but a few centimeters. In training it is less dangerous than on the field, I don’t know what experiences Ricciardi has as a sports doctor, it would be the case that they were listening too.”
“German method? I like it, I know the mentality well. They do sensible things, isolate the athlete they find positive and that’s it. It is clear that there will be controls for others.”
