Pandemic: the health emergency in Italy is constantly monitored by experts while the University of Ferrara is experimenting with a method to identify the variants of Covid. As for the spread of the virus in our country, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Health, the new positive cases recorded in the last 24 hours are 13.385 (yesterday 10.404). The new deaths are 344 (yesterday 373).
Overall, the currently positive subjects are 442.771, 5.378 cheaper than yesterday; the discharged healed are 18.416 (yesterday 14.688). The molecular and antigenic swabs always carried out in the last 24 hours are 336.336 (yesterday 302.734). Finally, in the ICU there are 2.711 Covid patients while still remaining in home isolation 420.200 people infected with Coronavirus.
The University of Ferrara is experimenting with a method for identifying Sars-Cov2 variants
An innovative approach was born in the laboratories of the University of Ferrara to perform faster and more accurate analyzes for the identification of Sars-Cov2 genomic sequences. The scientific project is by a third year doctoral student of Molecular medicine, Chiara Mazziotta. It is a work awarded by the Carlo Erba Foundation of Milan with recognition 'Cecilia Cioffrese - Viral Diseases' 2020-2021'. Doctoral student Mazziotta, with scientific tutor Professor Fernanda Martini, has developed a new protocol for the amplification of the coronavirus genome. In this regard, the technique used is called 'Droplet Digital PCR '(ddPCR).
"Compared to the methods used so far - explains Mazziotta - this new approach is more reliable and accurate in terms of identifying the genome of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, it is faster and allows to amplify a fraction of the viral genome also useful for discriminating variants of the virus. Thanks to the detection of a low viral load, in both asymptomatic and symptomatic subjects or patients, a more rapid and adequate management of the disease is possible Covid-19".
