ICU admissions for Covid-19 are 25.6 times more numerous in unvaccinated than in those who have had three doses of the vaccine. This was indicated by the National Update on the epidemic in Italy of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Iss). The admission rate in intensive care is equal to 23.1 per 100,000 inhabitants for the unvaccinated, 1.5 per 100,000 for those vaccinated for over 120 days, 1 per 100,000 for vaccinated for less than 120 days and 0.9 per 100,000 for those vaccinated with the booster dose.
The effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing Covid 19 infection is 77.6% within 90 days of the completion of the vaccination course, 64.5% between 91 and 120 days, and 41.6% beyond 120 days of completion. of the vaccination cycle. The vaccine efficacy in preventing cases of severe disease remains high: 95.7% in vaccinated with a full course of less than 90 days, 93% in vaccinated with a full course of 91 and 120 days, and 88.8% in vaccinated who have completed the vaccination cycle for over 120 days. In subjects vaccinated with an additional / booster dose, the efficacy in preventing diagnosis and cases of severe disease is 75% and 97.8%, respectively.
From 20 December to 2 January 934,886 new cases were reported, including 721 deaths, a value that does not include the people who died in that period but with a diagnosis prior to 20 December. However, the death toll is heavily delayed in their notification, particularly in Calabria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Tuscany and the autonomous province of Bolzano “due to technical-organizational difficulties and strong pressure on health services”.
The age group with the highest weekly incidence rate is 20-29 years, equal to 2,144 cases per 100,000
inhabitants, an increase compared to the previous week. The over 80 years old, with 302 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, are the group with the lowest incidence, because “they also have greater vaccination coverage both with a complete cycle and with a booster dose”. The median age of those who contracted Sars-CoV-2 virus infection in the period under review was 35 years, down from last week. The percentage of cases among health workers compared to the rest of the population has increased for two weeks.
Bassetti: with Omicron towards herd immunity
“Those who have seen before us the Omicron variant of Sars-CoV-2″ grow significantly, like England, now have 98% of the general population that is somehow protected from the virus. Why o has had the vaccination or has come into contact with the virus, and therefore is somehow protected at least from the most demanding forms. Let’s say that the British have achieved herd immunity, that of over 95%, which we hope to get there soon we too”. He said it Matteo Bassetti, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at the San Martino hospital in Genoa, guest of ‘Buongiorno Benessere’ on Rai1, a program conceived and conducted by Vira Carbone.
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“The situation” in Italy “is one of an impressive increase in” Covid “infections, especially in the last two weeks – continued Bassetti – It was expected, because it is a bit like what happened with the predominance of the Omicron variant also in other countries. Infections are growing a lot, also because the swabs performed have increased too much, even if done many times in an inappropriate way. The pressure on hospitals is growing, but not exponentially as the number of infected people grows. We are however facing a situation. very demanding “.
“I believe that we must try to differentiate a lot who is positive and has Covid, that is pneumonia, and who is asymptomatic positive and goes to hospital for another reason. This should be fundamental in the change of color of the regions”, Bassetti underlines.
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“What Omicron is frightening for – explained the expert – is not so much its aggressiveness, which is concentrated on the bronchi, in the upper respiratory tract, and less in the lungs. The problem is that this variant is very contagious and is disseminates much faster than what happens with the Delta variant. The problem here is diffusibility: if we swab all Italians, at a time like this with 20% positive swabs, we would probably have 10-15 million potentially positive ones or with a cold sustained by this variant. Which does not mean that we have 15 million people who have to go to the hospital. This must be very clear, because we have to try to live this pandemic, this endemic, in a somewhat different way than how we have lived it up to now “.
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