Covid, Minister Speranza: ‘Contagion index decreases but it is not enough. The pressure on hospitals is very strong, we have to resist again ‘

The health risk due to the pandemic of coronavirus remains very high, despite theHigher Institute of Health yesterday recorded a drop in the Rt index to 1.18. To remember it is the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, which wanted to reject any possibility of excessive loosening of the restrictions: “The first signs of a countertrend after the weeks of dizzying growth of the contagion are seen, but they are still totally insufficient – declared speaking at the conference Pharmacist More – The pressure on health services is tremendous. The Rt index is falling but will still have to structurally fall below 1. Only then will we see more significant results ”. And he therefore invited citizens to “hold out for a significant stage. Woe to interpret these first signs as a free all“.

Already Friday theIss, while the usual daily bulletin spoke of over 37 thousand new positives it’s almost 700 dead, had specified that despite the improvement in numbers, due to the measures imposed by the government, the situation remains “At critical levels”, with 17 “high risk” regions and a “significant impact on care services”. And since transmissibility in most of the territory is still with an Rt above 1 and involves an increase in new cases, “this trend must not lead to a relaxation of the measures”.

Messages that make the passage of some Regions unlikely such as Lombardy e Piedmont from the red zone to a lower risk level, as assumed in the last few hours. Thus the two regions, along with Calabria e Valle d’Aosta, they will remain red at least until December 3rd. Indeed, according to the ISS, three other Regions become the special observers of the technicians: it is Molise, Veneto (currently in the yellow zone), e Friuli (moved to the orange zone on 13 November last). Given the “high probability” of a switch to the high risk box in the next month, the dossier reads, “the health authorities are recommended” to evaluate “the possible adoption of further mitigation measures“.

Just from Friuli there was today a change of course of the governor Massimiliano Fedriga on the subject of closures: “We are ready to launch more stringent measures in the areas of the region with the highest rate of contagion – he announced – Someone did not respect the rules in this period ”. Signs of hope have arrived, again yesterday, since Luca Richeldi, president of the Italian Society of Pulmonology, head physician of the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome and member of the scientific technical committee (CTS), according to whom “we are on the right path”: “Deaths are still high, hospitalizations are still high, but the index Rt nationwide has now dropped to just above 1 and there are at least three regions where it is already below – he said in an interview with Corriere della Sera – Analyzing the trend, I would say that unfortunately it will take a few more weeks before deaths start to drop. While for hospitalizations in intensive care I believe that from the next one we will be able to see a reduction. The numbers are still high, it is true, but we must not let ourselves be frightened. The tools we have put in place are working ”, he concluded, praising the choice of dividing the country into three different levels of risk.

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