Time.news- In city hospitals “in just two and a half days, last weekend, 209 people were hospitalized. A frightening number that bends the legs “: Paolo Bordon, general director of the Ausl of Bologna, interviewed by the Time.news does not hide the concern for a third wave which, data in hand, exceeds the previous two in number of Covid positives and pressure on hospitals.
Even in the Bolognese territory, ‘red’ since this morning, the variants of the coronavirus dominate: the spread is increasing in speed and, a new factor, now affects mainly young people. “Right now the most affected age group – Bordon confirms – is that of children and young people, aged 6 to 19. We now have an incidence rate that exceeds 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for young people in this age group. This is a very worrying fact. The virus among kids runs a lot, this is why we asked for containment measures ”, such as the closure of all schools. In view of the peak in Bologna “expected in the second half of next week”, there are fears for hospitals to be held “.
“We will make it even if with great sacrifices. Healthcare workers are exhausted. We need maximum cooperation from citizens to respect the rules. Don’t be fooled by sunny days. The virus is more insidious than ever ”, the appeal of the CEO of the healthcare company. The surge in infections and the increase in hospitalizations had already led the mayor of Bologna, Virginio Merola, together with the health authorities, to ask the Region to arrange the red zone for the entire Metropolitan Area at the beginning of the week.
In the Bolognese area, in the last 10-12 days the new positives “reached peaks never recorded in the first or second wave. We are traveling – explains Bordon – between 700 and 800 infected a day with a Rt between 1.30 and 1.35 “. And the wave weighs on health facilities. “As of February 13 in our hospital network, including accredited private individuals, we had 550 hospitalized, now they have risen to 950. Between intensive and semi-intensive therapies dedicated to Covid we have 150 places available which at this time are almost saturated and, therefore, we must implement them . On average, patients come to the hospital younger than in the past, with a picture of underestimation of symptoms and the need for ventilation. The intubated remain the older people. While the little ones are at home but they risk infecting adults “.
Just yesterday Stefano Bonaccini, had spoken of the variants as a kind of new virus: quick answers, the message from the governor of Emilia-Romagna, so as not to be overwhelmed. Along the same lines, the director general of the Bolognese Ausl. “We have never seen this speed of diffusion before. There is something different. My clinicians say it is as if, from a certain point of view, there is a new virus. On our territory, the English and Brazilian variants are very present. This perhaps justifies the speed of spread of the virus “. For the future, the hope is “to be able to have as many vaccines as possible as soon as possible because they are the only way to avoid the fourth wave”, concludes the health director of the ASL of Bologna.
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