The situation is still improving, while still remaining critical in the vaccination campaign of the groups at risk of severe disease with over 3.3 million of over 60 without cover. The latest monitoring of the Gimbe Foundation, relating to the week May 26-June 1, indicates a further decrease in new cases (-27.4%) and of deaths (-28.3%), as well as a sharp decline in hospitalized patients with symptoms and intensive care (-25.2%). In the last two months, thanks to vaccines for the elderly population, reports the Foundation, hospital pressure has collapsed with a regression of 79% of patients with symptoms and del 74% intensive care.
“For eleven consecutive weeks – he declares Nino Cartabellotta, president of the Foundation – is confirmed on downward trend of the new cases, both for the reduced circulation of virus, as shown by the reduction of postitive reports / cases tested, both for the decrease oftesting activities. Deaths have also been steadily decreasing since mid-April, averaging just over 100 per day in the last week ”. The decline in new weekly cases is confirmed in all Regions, with the exception of a percentage increase in Molise, irrelevant in absolute value.
“Thanks to the vaccination coverage of Senior citizens e fragile – he claims Renata Gili, Head of Research on Health Services of Gimbe – the progressive continues emptying of hospitals. The occupation of Covid beds nationwide stands at 10% in the medical area and 11% in intensive care, with all Regions under the alert thresholds “. In detail, from peak of April 6th the number of beds occupied in the medical area fell from 29,337 to 6.192 (-78.9%) and those in intensive care from 3,743 to 989 (-73.6%). “The admissions to intensive care – he explains Marco Mosti, operational director of the Foundation – descend from 9 weeks with a 7-day moving average of 36 entries per day ”.
As for the priority categories for the administration of the vaccine, the Foundation says, coverage with the first dose reached 81.5% with some regional differences: “If Puglia, Umbria, Lazio, Lombardy, Veneto and Molise exceed the85%, the Sicily it still remains below 70%, ”explains Gimbe. In detail: among the over 80 of the more than 4.4 million, 3,736,001 (83.4%) completed the vaccination course and 386,742 (8.6%) received the first dose only. In age range 70-79 years, out of an audience of 5.9 million, 2,109,513 (35.4%) completed the vaccination course and 2,884,265 (48.4%) received the first dose only. While between the 60-69enni out of over 7.3 million citizens, 2,136,231 (28.7%) completed the vaccination cycle and 3,325,680 (44.7%) received the first dose only. “While coverage begins to rise in the 50-59 and 40-49 age groups – specifies Gili – there are still over 3.3 million over 60s high risk of hospitalization and death who have not even received the first dose of vaccine “. More precisely, Gimbe explains, the8% of the over 80s (357,683), the 16,3% of the 70-79 range (971.466) and the 26,6% of the age group 60-69 (1,979,297).
“The clear improvement of the pandemic picture – concludes Cartabellotta – if on the one hand it attests the success of ‘reasoned risk’on the other hand it requires that the cautious optimism is accompanied by a shared strategy between the government and the Regions to ensureirreversibility of reopening “. Gimbe’s proposal is to “make the new system for assigning i colors to the Regions i necessary corrective measures (eg standard of swabs per 100 thousand inhabitants) to encourage testing and resume the tracking, without fear of not conquering or losing the white zone “, moreover,” a unique way to promptly identify and stem any outbreaks “, as well as” enhance the sequencing of the variants, in particular in some Regions, and in case of diffusion of the Indian variant administer the second dose to the elderly and frail according to the optimal interval of clinical trials “and finally” implement new strategies to vaccinate the over 3.3 million over 60s without coverage and at high risk of hospitalization, such as active call, open day dedicati, institutional communication dedicated”.