The weekly growth of new Covid-19 cases slows down, reaching over 728 thousand (+ 22.4% compared to 595,300 the previous week), but the number of
deaths continues to increase: 692 in the last 7 days (+49 %
compared to 464).
These are the data from the Gimbe Foundation monitoring for the week 6-12 July.
"The increase in new cases - explains the president Nino Cartabellotta - records the lowest value since the inversion of the curve took place in mid-June. The peak is reached, but the duration of the plateau and the subsequent descent of the curve could be very slow ".
Also from 6 to 12 July, hospitalized patients with Covid symptoms in medical departments increased by 21.5% (9,724 compared to 8,003 the previous week), while those in intensive care grew by 16.1% (375 compared to 323 ).
This was revealed by the new monitoring of the Gimbe Foundation.
The increase is lower than that of the previous 7 days (33% for ordinary hospitalizations and 36% for intensive care) but, added to that of the past few weeks, it means that
in the last month the hospitalizations in intensive care have doubled
, going from 183 on 12. June to 375 on July 12, while in the medical area they more than doubled, from 4,076 to 9,724.
TREND IN THE REGIONS
According to the monitoring of the Gimbe Foundation, in the week in question, all the Regions recorded a percentage increase in new cases: from 5.1% in Lazio to 51.1% in Valle D'Aosta;
Lombardy is an exception, with -6.2%.
Compared to the previous week, in 8 Provinces there was a decrease in infections (from -21% in Lecco to -0.3% in Rome), while the remaining 99 provinces recorded a percentage increase (from + 0.1% in Florence to + 101.1% of Sondrio).
The incidence exceeds 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in all provinces, of which 62 register 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Hand in hand with the spread of infections, there is also an increase in the number of swabs performed, both antigenic and molecular: in fact, they went from 2,152,065 in the week of 29 June -5 July to 2,517,540 in the week 6-12 July, equal to + 17%.
But, as with regard to infections, this increase is also lower than that recorded a week ago (+ 33%).
Finally, with regard to reinfections, Gimbe reminds us that according to the latest report by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, in the period 24 August 2021-6 July 2022, over 659,000 reinfections were recorded in Italy, equal to 4.6% of the total cases.
Looking at the week of June 29-July 6 alone, there were 72,231 and their incidence stood at 10.8%, an increase compared to the previous week (9.6%).
As of 12 July,
the national employment rate for Covid patients was 15.1% in the medical area
(ranging from 7.8% in Piedmont to 40.2% in Umbria) and 4.1% in the critical area ( ranges from 0% in Basilicata to 9.3% in Umbria).
"The increase in Covid cases in recent weeks - says Marco Mosti, Operations Director of the Gimbe Foundation - is reflected in the admissions to intensive care, which recorded an average of 47 admissions per day compared to 40 in the previous week".
The number of cases currently positive (1,350,481 compared to 1,087,272 of the week before) and people in home isolation (1,340,382 compared to 1,078,946) are also increasing, according to the Gimbe monitoring.
"In the coming weeks - explains Nino Cartabellotta, Gimbe president -
we must expect a further increase in hospital admissions and deaths
: this makes the idea of freely circulating the virus completely unacceptable.
In fact, if on the one hand the hypothesis of enhancing population immunity with a 'natural booster' is very suggestive, on the other the susceptible population over 50 is too numerous ". Furthermore, he adds," this 'strategy' does not hold account of the impact of long Covid, the incidence of which is related to the number of infections.
Finally, an uncontrolled circulation of a virus as contagious as Omicron 5 risks causing a real paralysis of various services.
This is why - concludes Cartabellotta - it remains essential to stem the circulation of the virus by using masks indoors, in particular in crowded and poorly ventilated places, as well as in
