Covid emergency in Italy: infections still in decline, today there are a total of over 9 thousand fewer positive cases than yesterday. According to the data released by Ministry of Health, in the last 24 hours have been 7.925 the new positive cases registered in our country. The victims of today are 329 victims. Yesterday the positive tests were 11.252, the dead 237. The people hospitalized in intensive care are 2.252, therefore 37 more than yesterday, in the balance between entries and exits. Daily admissions are 145.
The hospitalized with symptoms are instead 20.260, so 164 more than yesterday. They were 142.419 the tests (molecular and antigenic swabs) carried out in the last 24 hours in Italy. The positive rate of 5,6 percent (yesterday 5,27 percent). Yesterday the tests had been 213.364, over 70 thousand more. Overall, the positive cases are 453.968, 9.384 less than yesterday.
Contagion still decreasing but there is the variant alarm
Variants alarm: also protect the vaccinated and the recovered. Dare priority to the search and contact management of Covid-19 suspected / confirmed variant cases. And, in addition, promptly identify both high-risk (close contacts) and low-risk contacts. This is what he foresees the new circular of the Ministry of Health on the diffusion of variants of Sars-Cov2. It is also instructed to perform a molecular test on contacts (high and low risk) as soon as possible after identification and on the 14th day of quarantine. The purpose is a further contact tracing. This, "considering the greater transmissibility of the variants and not to interrupt the quarantine on the tenth day".
According to the WHO, the emergence of new variants of Sars-Cov2 "underlines the importance, for anyone, including those who have had the infection or who have been vaccinated, of strictly adhere to health and socio-behavioral control measures ". Furthermore, the European Center for Disease Control (Ecdc) considers the probability of the introduction and diffusion in EU countries of the variants and in particular of the 'English' one to be "very high".
Variant isolation
The European Center for Disease Control (Ecdc), for the purpose of monitoring the variants of the virus SARS-CoV-2, recommends sequencing "at least about 500 randomly selected samples each week nationwide." This, following priorities, starting with “individuals vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 which subsequently become infected despite an immune response to the vaccine ".
Viral isolation of Sars-Cov2 variants “must be carried out in laboratories P3 (biosafety level 3) to prevent accidental spread of a variant, through exposure in the laboratory. Laboratories must increase sequencing capacity by leveraging all possible capacity from clinical, diagnostic, academic and commercial laboratories. "
