The next Dpcm of the government will go into effect from March 6 to April 6. Meanwhile, as far as infections are concerned, the English variant conditions the epidemic, so the restrictive measures cannot be relaxed. The said Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, speaking to the Senate. "The English variant is present in 17,8 percent of cases and will soon prevail - said Speranza - its greater diffusion makes it essential to raise the level of guard. But, fortunately, it does not compromise the effectiveness of vaccines. The other two variants are more insidious due to the reduced effectiveness of vaccines. Their spread is less but it is necessary to isolate the outbreaks ".
Meanwhile, according to data released by the Ministry of Health, today they are registered 16.424 new positive cases (yesterday 13.314). The new deaths are 318 (yesterday 356); the discharged healed today are 14.599 (yesterday 12.898) while overall the positive cases are 389.433, 1.485 more than yesterday. The swabs carried out are 340.247, in intensive care there are 2.157 patients while in home isolation remain 369.059 people infected with the virus.
Next Dpcm in force from 6 March to 6 April
The minister added: " The next Dpcm will be valid from 6 March to 6 April and the compass will be the safeguarding of the right to health. Timely delivery of doses is decisive and Italy is not resigned to reducing these. With the EU leaders - Speranza pointed out again - we are exerting maximum pressure on companies. This, so that the necessary solutions are found to increase the production of vaccines "
The variants, therefore, push the spread of Covid. Over 30 percent of infections in Italy are due to the English one and by mid-March it will be predominant throughout the country. This is what the ISS and CTS experts expressed with Prime Minister Mario Draghi. Indeed, in various areas a feared third wave of infections is expected. High alarm, in particular, in the province of Brescia, which thus becomes an "enhanced orange" area, like 14 municipalities in Emilia Romagna. And, again, the red zones increase in different territories.
The English one is the prevailing variant
La English variantand of the Sars-CoV-2 virus could have a greater transmissibility than the others because this 'version' of the virus remains for longer in the body. Doing so causes a patient to be infectious for longer. This is suggested by a preliminary study, not yet published, by Harvard University, conducted on NBA players.
According to this study, the current 10-day quarantine would therefore no longer be sufficient to limit the virus. The analysis was conducted on 65 virus-positive NBA players who were tested every day during last summer's 'bubble' period at the playoffs.
