Positive data on the front of hospitalizations for Covid-19 in Italy: the occupancy of beds in medical wards in fact recorded a 13% decline in 7 days, as well as a 5.9% decline in intensive care. This is what emerges from the weekly report of the Gimbe Foundation relating to the period 11-17 May. The latest data available, relating to 20 May, mark a historic low of hospitalizations since the beginning of the year: 6,812 hospitalizations in ordinary wards and 307 in intensive care.
Hospitalizations at an all-time low this year
As of May 20, the national employment rate for Covid patients was 10.6% in the medical area and 3.1% in resuscitation. Five Regions exceed the 15% threshold in the medical area, with Umbria reaching 22.4%, while all Regions are below the critical threshold of 10% in intensive care. The decline in pediatric hospitalizations also continues. In the survey of 17 May in the four pediatric hospitals and in the pediatric wards of the hospitals belonging to the Fiaso sentinel network, a 15.9% reduction in Covid patients was observed. Children up to 4 years are still the majority of hospitalized under 18 or 65% of patients (16% are between 0 and 6 months); 19% of hospitalized patients are between 5 and 11 years old, while 16% are between 12 and 18 years old.
Slow down the descent of infections
The decline of Covid-19 infections in Italy continues but slows down. Also according to the Gimbe report, in the last seven days the positives have decreased by 14.8% against 27.5% in the previous week. New weekly cases amounted to 244 thousand with a 7-day moving average of almost 35 thousand cases per day. In all regions there is also a percentage reduction in new cases: from -0.1% in Sardinia to -22.7% in Calabria.
Gimbe: third dose efficacy decreases, elderly mortality rises
From the Gimbe report, however, it emerges that in Italy, starting from mid-February, there is a progressive increase in the mortality rate in the over 80s (from 28.8 to 40.1 deaths per 100 thousand people) and – albeit to a lesser extent – in the age range 60-79 (from 3.4 to 4.9 deaths per 100 thousand people), with a consequent very high absolute number of deaths in the elderly population, particularly in the over 80s.
Fourth dose needed
“These data – observes Nino Cartabellotta, president of the Gimbe Foundation – confirm beyond any reasonable doubt that waiting for the autumn to carry out the fourth dose with” updated “vaccines is very risky for vulnerable people who, on the contrary, must receive the additional booster 120 days after the third dose, as confirmed by the document “Completion of the anti Sars-CoV-2 vaccination schedules in vulnerable subjects” of the Unit for the completion of the vaccination campaign ».