The alarm for one new wave of Covid infectionsprobably led by the new variant descendant from Omicron known as BQ.1.1 or even Cerberus.
In recent days there has been an increase in cases of about 50% compared to last week. The infections have passed da 36mila a 54mila and they returned to hospitalizations also grow. At the moment the epidemiological data does not cause concern, the pressure in hospitals for the number of hospitalizations it is still limited, but the curve has started to rise again.
According to the data of the Covid monitoring coordinated by the Ministry of Health and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, the Rt index goes up above the epidemic threshold at 1.18. Intensive care occupations also rose 1.8% and hospitalizations 8.2%.
The alarm of the experts: “New wave will find us unprepared”
Experts already have sounded the alarm. Some have explained that by November we will return to 90 thousand cases a daywho returns to the need for indoor masks and who explains that the new wave “unfortunately will find the Italians largely unprepared because many, especially the elderly, have not vaccinated themselves with the fourth dose and therefore in fact they are not protected against serious illness».
Walter Ricciardi, professor of Hygiene at the Catholic University of Rome, guest of Rai Radio 1, clarifies that “it would be appropriate for everyone to do it, but for those who are fragile by age or pathology it is really a question of survival”. According to the expert mortality will also increase again since “less than 30% of those over 80 are vaccinated with the fourth dose”.
As regards the variants, then, explains that: “Omicron still dominates but there are sub-variants and one has the advantage of 10%, it means that it has a little more contagiousness”. An impact on hospitals is also expected, certainly not as in the past, but «it will certainly have a strong impact. It is a wave not a tsunami», conclude.
Alert for employment in departments in 4 regions
I’m four regions in which the occupation of medical departments by Covid patients exceeds the alert threshold set at 15%: Autonomous Province of Bolzano (24,6%), Umbria (21,6%), Friuli Venezia Giulia (16,9%), Valle d’Aosta (16.4%) compared to a nation average of 8.2%. For the employment of intensive care (national figure 1.8%), however, no Region or Autonomous Province exceeds the alert threshold set at 10%. As evidenced by the table on decision-making indicators attached to the weekly monitoring by Iss-Ministry of Health.
Covid data of the week
In detail, compared to the previous week, the recorded data are:
- Deaths: 281 (-8.5%), of which 6 referred to previous periods
- Intensive care: +27 (+21.1%)
- Hospitalized with symptoms: +1,161 (+ 31.8%)
- Home isolation: +46.234 (+ 10.5%)
- New cases: 244,353 (+ 51.9%)
- Currently positive cases: +47,422 (+ 10.7%)
Will the masks return indoors?
Among the hypotheses, the return of the obligation to wear masks indoors. On the other hand, the contagion curve starts to rise again and there are those who think among experts that the government’s choice to abandon the use of protective devices in closed spaces is a gamble. The theme remains on the table even if at the moment the Ministry of Health is denied the possibility of a circular introducing again the obligation eliminated on 1 October.
