Viruses, rise in hospitalization: that’s why Sicily is under observation

The bad news is that infections are growing in ways that have never happened before. The good news is that starting this morning there will be a new Covid hospital, a center that in Partinico will be dedicated exclusively to patients who have contracted the coronavirus. Because despite the fact that the regional health adviser Ruggero Razza tries to reassure Sicilians about the situation of the pandemic by pointing out that there are only 4 new hospitalizations, it is precisely on the front of ordinary hospitalization, that is, non-intensive care beds , where the Region is trying to fine-tune its tools: yesterday 409 of the 613 places in the computer system of the regional health service were occupied, with a critical peak in Palermo and Trapani, where the free beds for Covid patients were 24 out of 261.

All the more so since Sicily is the region with the highest hospitalization rate. The factor, which records the percentage of positives to be treated in the room, according to the latest monitoring of the Gimbe foundation is 11.5 percent: twice the national average (6.6 percent) and much more than the two closer, Liguria (10.4) and Lazio (9.9). “If the national data do not show any overload of hospital services – points out the president of the foundation, Nino Cartabellotta – relevant regional differences begin to emerge”. For every 100,000 inhabitants, on Tuesday there were 7.9 hospitalized in Sicily: a figure well above the national average, which stands at 6.5.

Then it was decided to speed up in Partinico. Preparations began yesterday, and this morning – with the construction of the tensioned structure for the “gray zone”, in which patients must wait for a swab, and the arrival of the biocontainment stretcher, which is used to transport the Highly isolated patients: the facility will be ready: there will be 35 places of ordinary hospitalization, 25 of intensive care and 7 of sub-intensive care available. “When it is fully operational – anticipates the Palermo emergency commissioner, the secretary of CGIL Medici Renato Costa – we will reach an availability of eighty beds. But with due precautions we will not use them. The correct precautions, or the most rigorous use of masks: the obligation now extends to all of Italy, and yesterday the president of the Region Nello Musumeci urged the prefects to ask for more controls. “We anticipated the government by a few days, adopting an ordinance that provides for the use of the mask even in open places – he told RaiNews24 – a painful measure, but necessary due to the increase in infections in Sicily. The moment has changed and it is important to move from a phase of tolerance to one of sanction. Yesterday, in fact, the increase in infections was 259 new positives.

A figure that takes into account 4 new hospitalizations, 3 more patients in intensive care and three deaths: in addition to the Villafrati outbreak, still a red zone with 89 infections, the most worrisome outbreaks refer to Castel di Lucio and Galati Mamertino, in Messina , Vittoria. in the Catania area, Zafferana Etnea in the Ragusa area and Lascari in the Palermo area. “I am not afraid that the number of asymptomatic patients is growing – specifies Razza – the more we search, the more we will find. It is very important, on the other hand, to work on hospital rotation, to open areas with low intensity of care and to work on territorial screening ”. In Palermo, for example, to decongest the hospitals, two new ASP centers have been activated for patients with “low intensity of care”: it is a 30-bed asylum in Borgetto and a protected home with continuity of care for 40 people in Castelbuono. “These structures – says manager Daniela Faraoni – will help not a little to decongest Covid hospitals.”

Also because, in the meantime, it maintains the intensive care system, which sees the 10 beds available in Agrigento for free, 4 out of 8 in Caltanissetta, 18 out of 30 in Catania and Enna, 14 out of 15 in Messina, 15 out of 34 in Palermo (included the 10 of Ismett, active but never used so far, but still without considering those of Partinico), 3 of 4 in Ragusa, 8 of 8 in Syracuse and 4 of 4 in Trapani. For a system that adapts. And that now needs more beds for ordinary hospitalization.