The epidemic does not slow down: new cases (+ 18%), hospitalizations (+ 17.9%), intensive care (+ 11.2%) and deaths (+ 18.8%). The Gimbe Foundation photographs the situation with the usual monitoring referring to the week of 8-14 December. Over 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 26 provinces. In 7 days +236 thousand new vaccinates and 2.9 million third doses. With the Omicron variant and the color system we are moving towards a silent and dangerous congestion of hospitals. There is an increase in new cases in all regions except Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Molise and the province of Bolzano. Fortunately, vaccinations also run together with the virus: The number of administrations increased in the week 6-12 December (3,272,324), with a 7-day moving average of over 460,000 administrations / day: they increased by 8, 8% for third doses (No. 2,903,412) and 5.8% for new vaccines (No. 236,606). This is what emerges from the monitoring of the Gimbe Foundation. As of December 15 (update 06.18) 80.5% of the population (no.47.696.102) received at least one dose of vaccine (+218.456 compared to the previous week) and 77.6% (no.4.975.355 ) completed the vaccination cycle (+144,773 compared to the previous week).
Restrictive measures for travel
“In these hours, our priority can only be to continue to work to secure our country. Even the choices we are making these days, the extension of the state of emergency, the restrictive measures on international travel go exactly in this direction. It is an attempt to continue to maintain a high level of surveillance and assistance, precisely to prevent the numbers of contagion and hospitalizations from growing too significantly “. This was stated by Health Minister Roberto Speranza speaking at the second traveling congress of Fnopi. And he added: “We must insist with great determination, we cannot afford any ambiguity. The vaccine is the fundamental weapon at our disposal to try to face this Covid season. Then, alongside the vaccine, it is essential to continue to use the masks, to be cautious about spacing, to avoid gatherings, and therefore to have non-pharmacological measures as well, as the ECDC tells us “.
L’allarme di Ursula von der Leyen
«To date, 67% of the EU population is vaccinated. But nine Member States have a vaccination rate of less than 60% ”. This was stated by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in the report to the European Council being held in Brussels. “We have to work hard to increase vaccination rates. Covid-19 is weighing too much on our health systems, on society, especially on young people, and on our economy “he added.
Buffer to the vaccinated
In the morning Franco Locatelli, president of the Higher Health Council and coordinator of the technical-scientific committee, said that it is a hypothesis to swab vaccinated people too ». According to Locatelli, the possible introduction of the mandatory swab also for the vaccinated to access major events is “a hypothesis to be considered if the epidemiological situation were to worsen”, because the president of the CSS reiterates “the advantage that has been accumulated by the our country and above all the lives of Italians must be protected ».
Vaccines under 5
And while the first anti-Covid vaccinations are underway for children aged 5 to 12 (which started today, December 16), Undersecretary of Health Andrea Costa speech live on the Rai program “Unomattina” declared: “We trust that already by the end of March the vaccine for the little ones may also arrive. We look forward to the work of science, which every day provides us with the right weapons to fight the pandemic ». Still on the subject, Covid added: «In recent days there has also been an increase in the administration of the first doses. We trust that day after day the hard core of the unvaccinated is reduced, I believe that the feeling of fear day after day can be overcome with politics that renews trust in science “. while on the quarantine of the unvaccinated EU he explained: «The checks on who arrives in Italy must be done for a country like ours that is better off than others. Where has little vaccinated been made who says that there are no other variants? “And concludes:” The checks are always good because they follow the road to safety “.
Ad Moderna on vaccine side effects
All this while the CEO of Moderna got his hands on the effects of vaccines (which in his opinion) will be in the very long term: “If you want perfect scientific data on safety over 10 years, you have to wait 10 years”, are the words by Stéphane Bancel who concluded: “We have taken many financial risks, we would never have done it for a traditional vaccine“.