The SarsCoV2 virus begins to slow down and the rate of growth of infections in Italy is slightly decreasing. This means, according to the forecast of the World Health Organization (WHO), that the peak in our country is "near" and could be reached in 2-3 weeks, only to be followed by a downward phase of the epidemic. At the same time, given the very high transmissibility of the now prevalent Omicron variant, the threshold of 2.5 million Italians currently positive has been exceeded and it is certain that by the end of 2022 almost the entire population will have come into contact with Omicron. The director of WHO Europe, Hans Kluge, indicated the probable evolution of the epidemic: "In countries likeItaly and Greece are very close to the peak and it is very likely that it will arrive in Europe sooner than expected, ie within 2-3 weeks ".
The Omicron variant, he further stressed, "cannot be escaped, and even if it is milder at an individual level", considering "the number of unvaccinated, we expect that at any time between now and March 40 out of 53 European countries will suffer a high level of stress. on hospitalizations and intensive care ". Hence the importance of vaccination with which, he recalled, it is "10 times less likely to contract serious illness or die". Even the Undersecretary of Health Pierpaolo Sileri warns: "Omicron will reach everyone, there is no escape. There is no doubt that by the end of 2022, unless another variant arrives, almost the entire Italian population will have encountered this variant".
With a distinction, however: "Those who are vaccinated will be more protected and may probably have a lighter form, but those who are not have much more risk of going to intensive care". Because, he reiterates, Covid "has not become a 'trivial' flu and its consequences on those who are not vaccinated, even if young and in good health, can be very serious". In this context, the daily data of the bulletin of the Ministry of Health, despite being affected by the lower number of swabs that are carried out during the weekends, show still high numbers. There are 149,512 new infections in the last 24 hours (yesterday 180,426) and the victims are 248 while yesterday there were 308. And with 927,846 swabs carried out, the positivity rate is 16.1%, increasing. Compared to hospitalizations, there are 1,691 patients in intensive care,14 more in the balance between entries and exits, and the hospitalized in the ordinary wards are 18,719 (+349). Over 2.5 million currently positive in Italy: 2,548,857, with an increase of 78,010 in the last 24 hours.
Vaccines: 685 thousand first doses since the introduction of the obligation for 50-year-olds
