There are 53,905 new infections from Covid recorded in the last 24 hours, according to data from the Ministry of Health. Yesterday there were 62,704. The victims are instead 50, down from 62 yesterday. A total of 246,512 swabs were performed, including antigenic and molecular, with the positivity rate of 21.8%, stable compared to 21.4% yesterday. Hospitalizations are on the rise: there are 10 more intensive care units (yesterday -3) with 36 daily admissions, and they become 216 in all, while in the ordinary wards there are 144 more patients (yesterday +218), for a total of 4,947.
Children’s hospitalizations doubled
The absolute numbers are limited but, in the week from 14 to 21 June, the network of sentinel hospitals of Fiaso reports a net increase in hospitalizations for Covid in pediatric age: they have more than doubled. Most of the patients are very young children (infants between 0 and 6 months who have almost tripled from 5 to 14 patients in one week). For the first time in 5 weeks, there is a hospitalization in intensive care ‘for Covid’: it is a child of the 5-11 class without comorbidities.
On the other hand, the curve of hospitalizations in adults is stable. After the slowdown of the previous weeks, the June 21 survey of Fiaso sentinel hospitals shows a halt to this reduction and substantial stability. In resuscitation, 100% of the vaccinated have other pathologies, while only 27% of frail subjects received the fourth dose.
The great comeback of the flu in the fall
The flu, cornered in recent years by the anti-Covid measures that have reduced the circulation of seasonal viruses, will return overwhelmingly in the autumn. And it will try to supplant Covid. These are forecasts based on epidemiological data that are emerging in the Southern hemisphere. In these days, in fact – indicates the influenza Observatory – the Australian surveillance system is detecting an extremely accelerated growth trend of the epidemic curve, in advance of the normal trend. And also in Argentina there seems to be the same situation.
All this – the experts explain – suggests that, while in the last two seasons, thanks to the anti-Covid measures and above all the massive use of masks, the flu epidemic has been almost entirely supplanted by Covid and the circulation of viruses flu has been quite contained, next year the flu can become a problem again and we can see a nice competition in which Covid and flu will both try to become the main winter respiratory virus.
From August new Moderna vaccine against Omicron 5
New positive results for the bivalent booster vaccine that Moderna is studying with the aim of fighting Covid in the Omicron era. The US company announces that mRNA-1273.214, as the product is currently called, exhibits “a powerful neutralizing antibody response against the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants”. The new data will be sent to regulatory authorities and for a peer reviewed publication. “We are preparing to supply our bivalent ‘anti-Covid’ booster vaccine starting in August, in view of a potential increase in Sars-CoV-2 infections due to Omicron sub-variants in early autumn,” Stéphane announces. Bancel, CEO of the American company Moderna who today reported for the vaccine candidate mRna-1273.214 “powerful neutralizing antibody responses” against BA.4 and BA.5, Omicron 4 and 5.