It is not so much the current number of cases that worries Italy, but rather their rapid increase. In just one week, new infections rose by 64.8 percent, hospitalizations by 34.9 percent, and the number of corona patients in intensive care units by 14.5 percent. And there were 46 percent more deaths. 111 people died between July 21 and 27 alone, reports the non-profit foundation for health data collection Gimbe.
The Italian Ministry of Health reported 78,484 corona infections and a total of 128,009 deaths on its platform on Thursday. Health Minister Roberto Speranza (42) warns in Italian media that the peak has not yet been reached. The curve is not expected to drop again until after the Ferragosto holiday in mid-August.
“With the opening of the schools, the numbers continue to rise”
Until then, the Ministry of Health expects the incidence to double every week. Today it is 58 per 100,000 inhabitants. According to the current RT value, every infected person infects almost two more people with corona. The highly contagious Delta mutant is to blame. For many experts, “Italy is already in the middle of the fourth corona wave”.
So also for Fabrizio Pregliasco (61). The virologist and lecturer at the State University of Milan sees a setback in the pandemic. “When it gets hotter again and the schools reopen, the number of new infections will continue to rise,” Pregliasco told Sky TG24.
Englishmen have to be in quarantine for five days
The Minister of Health signed the new Corona guidelines on Thursday. It is not loosened. On the contrary: travelers from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Brazil no longer come to the country. Exceptions apply to Italian citizens or to anyone who has their main residence in Italy. Great Britain is considered a corona risk area. Brits entering Italy must be quarantined for five days. For countries from the EU and Schengen area, the Covid certificate still applies, which certifies a full vaccination, recovery or a negative corona test.
Italy is still clinging to the white color. But in some regions of the country, especially in popular travel destinations, the delta variant is spreading rapidly. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDP) has already declared Sardinia and Sicily to be red zones. There is a moderate corona risk for 20 regions in Italy.
From August 1st, the Corona cards will be reshuffled in Rome. From now on, it is no longer just the incidence value that counts, but the number of corona patients in hospitals and intensive care units.