We used to think that the Covid would take a summer break, only to come back in the fall. This year, however, is not going like this: summer hasn't started yet and the virus, with the subvariant Omicron 5, already raises his head, doing trace the infections not only in Italy, but also in Germany, Great Britain and the United States. And now the chance to a wave summer is by no means to be discarded.
Omicron 5 and the increase in infections in Italy
Only in our country, in the last week infections increased by 32%: 35 were registered yesterday, against 22 the previous Friday. As for Omicron 5, according to experts it is already present in 23% of new cases in Italy, but the Higher Institute of Health expects it to become prevalent as early as next week, given the speed with which it is spreading in Europe and America . Not to mention that the circulation of the virus is favored practically everywhere by the fall of the latest restrictions and the almost total abandonment of masks.
In fact, the numbers of the latest weekly report of the ISS see an increase, in addition to theincidence of new cases on the population (310 per 100.000 inhabitants), too admissions e deaths (+6 %), while theRt (increased to 0,83) has a range that exceeds the epidemic threshold.
Pressure on hospitals: two Regions at risk
In any case, the situation remains under control, both because the disease induced by Omicron 5 is milder than that of the original Covid strain, and because the high vaccination rate protects most of the Italian population from serious forms. At the moment, in fact, the pressure on hospitals has not increased significantly. The employment rate of the ordinary wards is slightly rising (to 6,7%), even if two Regions (Sicily and Val d'Aosta, which exceed 15%) are considered to be at high risk.
Vaccines: the fourth doses among the over-80s and the frail
On a general level, then it raises some concern the very low percentage of fourth doses among the over 80s and frail, who could run more risks than expected in the summer.
"Also where it is not mandatory it is good to consider the use of masks – warns Gianni Rezza, director general of Prevention of the Ministry of Health – especially in the presence of strong aggregations, and the administration of the fourth dose is recommended in particular to the elderly and the most fragile ”.
Walter Ricciardi, adviser to the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, instead branded the hypothesis of canceling the obligation of isolation for positives in the short to medium term as a "bad idea". “The conditions are not there – he explains – we would overload the hospitals”.
