The warning of Hans Kluge, of the WHO, on the hasty revocation of the measures “brutally”: the new positives are everywhere, but the health system is holding up for now thanks to vaccinations. Fabrizio Pregliasco: “It was an expected political act, now we need caution and a sense of responsibility of the citizens”
The cases of Covid-19 in Italy yesterday are returned to exceed 96,000
, a number that has not been recorded since last February 8. Even the hospitalizations in the ordinary wards have gone up (241 more in one day), while those in intensive care are stable (-8 in one day). THE deaths scored 197 victims and, although previously unregistered deaths have been included, this is not encouraging because at the level of weekly progression ranks third in Europe (910 in total) after Russia (3,681 deaths) and Germany (1,345).
Cases rising everywhere
In the rest of Europe, too, it appears that the Omicron 2 variant and the easing of restrictions is leading to a noticeable backlash of the winter wave (see graph below, ed), so much so that the regional director for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO), Hans Kluge, said that Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom they have revoked the anti Covid measures too “brutally”.
In UK the new cases continue to rise up to about 80,000 per day, less marked the increase in deaths (on average about 110 per day) and that of hospitalizations which in any case returns to over 16,000, after having dropped to 10,000 in recent weeks.
Also in Germany the national incidence of infections has increased again. The Robert Koch Institut announced a weekly value of 1733.4 infections per 100,000 population.
Friday 18 (before the weekend which offsets some data) the infections of the day were:
219,205 in Germany,
82,356 in France,
81.101 in UK,
76,250 in Italy,
14,380 in Spain.
The hospitalization situation in the ordinary departments (see graph above, ed) sees a rise in the UK, France and Italy, in Spain they are stationary and in Germany in decline.
The situation of weekly admissions in the terapie intensive instead (see graph below, ed) sees Germany rising and the other detectable countries stationary (again on a weekly basis). The situation of the hospitals for now does not worry, however, for this reason the various states have confirmed their respective decisions to ease the anti-Covid measures.
The restrictions dropped
Many countries have removed the restrictionsif not almost all, starting with the local “vaccination passes”.
In Britain all restrictions have been over for weeks, but the local government of the Scotland has decided to postpone as of April 4, the revocation of the obligation to use the mask limited to public transport and shops.
In France the “super green pass” and the obligation to wear masks indoors (they remain mandatory on public transport and in hospitals) have been revoked.
In Spain the use of the mask is mandatory only indoors or in case of gatherings.
In Germany Sunday 20 March was supposed to be “Freedom day”, but given the numbers of infections, many Land have already decided to extend the measures.
From 1 May, in Italy, it will no longer be mandatory to wear masks indoors.
In addition to Scotland, they register the first steps back: Austria from the middle of this week, it reintroduces the obligation of the Ffp2 mask indoors, having registered the second highest incidence in Europe.
In the light of these data, we ask Fabrizio Pregliasco, virologist at the State University of Milan, but also the medical director of the Galeazzi Institute in Milan, if Europe has gone too quickly.
«The choice was due and necessary, but there is no manual: I gave the example of the hot and cold water tap, you have to adjust it gradually. The approach must be progressive with caution. Europe, the United States and Canada have basically chosen one of three possible approaches: China tries the “zero contagion” policy, but has difficulty; moreover, since there are even a few previously infected subjects, nothing is enough to prevent new cases from being controlled and they are forced to lock up millions of inhabitants. Then there is the approach of Eastern Europe, or even Brazil, or India where the virus has let itself run with a mild vaccination policy and have “picked up the pieces” of these decisions. Coming to us, realizing that we could not control the disease, we decided for the “mitigation” approach, difficult and impervious and without a manual, that is, as far as possible (and unfortunately without coordination at European level) we tried to reduce the rate at which people would get sick. ‘
Now the trend is up, do we have to go back already?
“The balance is difficult, the decisions were then born in a phase where the fourth wave seemed to decline and instead Omicron 2 arrived in the gestation phase of the provisions. Now in Italy we are in a somewhat delicate transition moment where it will take a sense of responsibility on the part of all of us: we can manage situations with the use of masks, which is a fundamental measure (together with vaccination). It is clear that the emergency had to be ended, it was a “desired” and it was a political choice; however I am confident: the cases will continue to rise but I am confident that towards the summer most of the people will be protected on the whole (either because they have been vaccinated, either because they are cured or both) “.
Since we have to get used to living with a virus whose incidence can be traced back, when to sound the alarm?
“The level is always given by the occupation of health facilities, but in some way also by the threshold of public attention, which has already dropped: let’s think of the 100 deaths a day, it’s a plane that crashes every day, and now it seems to have an effect relative to a time. The pandemic also ends when it is no longer talked about, or in any case when the extra mortality it entails is tolerated ».
What can we expect for the future?
“There will be (also thanks to the summer) a decline, but I expect that, with the waning of the immune response even of the healed, we will have a rise in the winter where Covid will take the place of the flu virus as the protagonist of the cold season. We must equip ourselves to manage it in the ordinary way because the virus will remain with us for a long time with an oscillating trend ».
Can we do more about vaccines?
“Unfortunately there are people who are avoiding the third dose, they have the wrong perception that it is no longer needed. It is not easy to convey this message when there is a laxity, that is to say, prevailing, a perception of the end of the risk “.
March 23, 2022 (change March 23, 2022 | 18:24)
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