Again, the Covid raises its head and pushes up the curves of the epidemic. In fact, in the last seven days, infections, hospitalizations in ordinary wards and even deaths have increased, while the number of fourth doses of the vaccine administered continues to decrease. The latest data from the independent monitoring of the Gimbe Foundation indicate that the SarsCoV2 it has started to circulate massively again and now the problem of the beyond also arises 2 million Italiansespecially frail and elderly, who, having instead made the fourth dose for over 120 days are not fully covered with an increased risk of hospitalization.
Over the past seven days, notes hoofCovid-19 infections are grew by 10%. Ordinary hospitalizations also rose (+9.1%) and deaths increased again (+8.8%), while intensive care remained substantially stable (+1.2%). Compared to the previous week, there was an increase in new cases (229,122 against 208,346), deaths (580 against 533) and hospitalizations (7,613 against 6,981). In hospitals, on the other hand, the Covid beds occupied in the critical area, after reaching the minimum of 203 on November 10, they rose to 250 on 24 November; in the medical area, after reaching a low of 6,347 on November 11, they reached 7,613 on November 24.
Also as of November 24, the national occupancy rate by Covid patients is 12% in the medical area and 2.5% in the critical area. Moreover, the administrations of the fourth dose of the vaccine (-14.5%) are still decreasing in seven days and almost 3 out of 4 people are currently uncovered. The national coverage rate for the fourth doses, in fact, is 25.9 % with clear regional differences (from 11.8% in Calabria to 39.1% in Piedmont). Overall, to date the fourth doses administered are 5,013,957.
The data, he explains the president Gimbe Nino Cartabellotta“they confirm the widespread recovery of viral circulation which remains clearly underestimated due to the widespread use of do-it-yourself tampons and which is beginning to have an impact in particular on hospitalizations in the medical area. Faced with a virus that is rearing its head again, the administration of tampons continues to drop fourth doses for the elderly and frail and in this context – he underlines – the choice of the Ministry of Health to wait until December 1 to start the communication plan on the vaccination campaign is inexplicable “. Another factor is also worrying, namely the lack of data relating to the fifth vaccination dose. If the fourth dose still does not take off, in fact, at the same time the problem of the fifth immunization arises for those who have had the fourth dose for over 4 months and are therefore not fully protected.
In Italy, Cartabellotta notes, “today there are over 2.38 million people who have received the fourth dose for more than 120 days: these are mainly elderly and frail people, for whom the decline in vaccine efficacy in a context of increased viral circulation increases the risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death”. But on the administration of the fifth dose, she underlines, “we have no data, despite the Ministry of Health recommending a further dose to categories at risk – i.e. over 80, guests of RSA and frail subjects from 60 years of age – 120 days after previous immunization or infection”.
Meanwhile, cases of seasonal flu and the virologist are also increasing Fabrizio Pregliasco renews the invitation to get vaccinated aimed primarily at the elderly and frail: “The flu peak is expected at the end of December: although there is still time to get vaccinated, it is advisable to do it immediately since the immune response to vaccination takes about two weeks to fully develop”. To date, according to an Ipsos survey for Sanofi on a representative sample of 250 adults over 65, only 31% of Italiansi underwent the flu vaccination.
