Biography:

Dr. Alfonso Recordare graduated in Bologna University in 1989. He’s Specialist in General Surgery with a special interest in Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic (HPB) surgery, and liver transplantation. In 2015 he was the Chief of the HPB and transplant Unit in Batumi, Georgia, to start the Liver transplant program in the country. From that time he started a close cooperation with The Eliava Phage Therapy Institute in Tbilisi, and is involved in the clinical applications of Bacteriophages in Italy. He’s actually Director of the Oncological and Emergency Surgery Division at at Dell’angelo Hospital in Venice Mestre. He has published more than 100 articles in SCI(E) journals.)

Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, government restrictions have aimed to control community SARS-CoV-2 transmission and included reducing population movement, closing public facilities, and restricting gatherings. Restrictions have varied worldwide in stringency, with the most severe leading to so-called lockdowns. Although public and media attention has largely focussed on the economic impact of lockdowns, the broader effects on general health are poorly understood. Lockdowns might have had collateral effects beyond controlling community SARS-CoV-2 rates alone, due to changes in both public behaviour and health system performance. These might have disproportionate effects on vulnerable and marginalised communities., Understanding these effects will justify expenditure on targeted system strengthening, as further societal restrictions are predicted at a global level.

Surgery is the main modality of cure for solid cancers and was prioritised to continue during COVID-19 outbreaks. This study aimed to identify immediate areas for system strengthening by comparing the delivery of elective cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic in periods of lockdown versus light restriction.