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After many weeks, the incidence of Covid cases in our country decreases slightly for the first time, although it is still very high, exceeding 700 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The Rt index is set at 1.1, which is why a first effect of the containment measures adopted so far is noted. Unfortunately, hospital admissions and especially intensive care admissions are increasing. Given the situation, it is good to maintain a prudent behavior ”, comments prof. Gianni Rezza, General Director of Prevention of the Ministry of Health, on the latest Covid Monitoring Report, published yesterday by the Ministry.
A report in which, for the first time after several weeks, improvements are seen in two data, the incidence of cases and the transmissibility index. However, the improvements still do not allow a relaxation of safety measures also because, conversely, there is still an increase in hospitalizations in general and in intensive care.
“The incidence – read in the report – however, it is still too high to allow for sustainable management and containment. For this reason, it is necessary to achieve transmissibility levels significantly lower than 1, allowing a rapid decrease in the number of new cases of infection and, consequently, a reduction in pressure on local health services and hospitals “..
As mentioned, the national rt index calculated on symptomatic cases fell to 1.08, this is the third consecutive decrease. There are 11 autonomous regions / provinces with an index equal to or greater than 1. At least the situation in Puglia, which registers 0.99. Puglia is also one of the seven regions in which there is, compared to the previous report, a decrease in the number of outbreaks.
Regarding the cumulative incidence (that is, the number of positives per 100,000 inhabitants), the figure is still high, although it is also decreasing for the first time after several weeks: in Italy it fell to 706.27 compared to 732, 6 of the previous follow-up. In Puglia, the incidence is 443.85. The highest numbers are found in the province of Bolzano (1,423.85), in Piedmont (1,115.73) and in Valle d’Aosta (1,322.70).
Although these data do not see it at the top of the ranking, Puglia remains among the regions classified as high risk and / or equated to high risk for 3 or more consecutive weeks. There are a total of 9 high-risk autonomous regions / provinces: Abruzzo, Calabria, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, the autonomous province of Bolzano, Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily. Puglia, like almost all other regions, has exceeded the threshold of 30% for hospitalizations in intensive care and 40% for hospital beds in the Covid medical area, registering 45% in both indicators. The situation in Bolzano is worrying, with 100% of the places in the medical area occupied and 52% of those hospitalized in intensive care. Similar situations in Piedmont (64% of ICU beds as Lombardy) and Liguria (53% of ICUs employed). Overall, the number of people admitted to intensive care increased to 3,816, an increase of more than 200 compared to the previous follow-up. More than 1,500 more people hospitalized in medical areas.
Finally, there is a decrease in the number of cases not attributable to transmission chains. A comforting fact because it could be related to an improvement in follow-up activities.
However, despite objective signs of improvement, Italy is still far from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel: “This trend should not lead to a premature relaxation of measures or a decrease in attention to behaviors. The need to maintain the drastic reduction of physical interactions between people is confirmed. It’s critic – the report still says – that the population avoid all occasions of contact with people outside their home that are not strictly necessary and that they stay at home as long as possible. It remains essential to avoid aggregate events that, if carried out, will lead to a rapid increase in the number of new cases. “
