Covid emergency: in Italy we have reached one million vaccinated but the virus runs in all areas of our country. “Europe is always in full pandemic and this means that we must always be very careful to take all national and European measures to be able to control it. Italy is in a phase of regrowth but slight and thanks to the restrictive measures we are not faced with a sharp rise in the curve ”.
Thus the president of the Higher Institute of Health, Silvio Brusaferro who commented on the monitoring data regarding the contagion curve in our country. Meanwhile, according to the data released by the Ministry of Health today they have been registered 16.146 new positive cases (yesterday 17.246) compared to 273.506 swabs carried out. Yesterday the swabs were 175.429. The new deaths are 477 (yesterday 522). The discharged healed today are 18.979 (yesterday 20.115); altogether the positive cases are 558.068, in practice 3312 less than yesterday. Covid positive patients admitted to intensive care are 2.552, those in home isolation 532.705.
The virus is everywhere
“There is no municipality in Italy that has not reported cases therefore the virus circulates in all areas of the country - said Brusaferro - Europe too is always in full pandemic. There are areas of deep red that shift from week to week but remain persistent. Hence the need to adoptre all measures at national and regional level to control the pandemic.
The curve of the occupancy of beds in intensive care and the medical area has stopped a bit, so we are still in a phase of stability. However, the probability that the critical threshold can be exceeded - highlighted Brusaferro - concerns many regions and it is advisable to intervene promptly ".
Rapid antigenic tests
"Today we can make a final balance: there is a limited increase in incidence and Rt. This means that to some extent it has been possible to slow down the course of the virus which, however, would have resumed running decisively if the measures had not been taken taken ". This was stated by the Director of Prevention of the Ministry of Health Gianni Rezza.
“The novelty - explained the expert - is that of rapid antigen tests. Already at the EU level, the confirmation of cases is confirmed not only with molecular but also antigenic tests. "Antigen tests are a useful aid when making public health decisions quickly." “The antigenic tests - Rezza reiterated - have performances almost comparable to molecular tests, which however remain the standard”.
One million vaccinated
The vaccination campaign is progressing and the government let it be known that we have reached the first million vaccinated. “In the meantime, the vaccination phase of the over-80s will begin by the end of the month or beginning of February. For now, the vaccination schedules are respected and even anticipated.
For now, I am not officially aware of a Pfizer delay but it does not seem to me that there are supply problems ”. These, again, are Rezza's considerations. “We will not be able to reach theherd immunity through vaccinations before 6-8 months. Of course the first goal is to bring down the epidemic, serious cases and deaths and make hospitals covid-free".
