New cases are on the rise, for the first time since April the number of intensive care admissions has risen

According to the weekly monitoring of the Gimbe Foundation, in the last week not only infections have increased, but also intensive care admissions. “Cases are increasing in Germany, France, Spain and other European countries. If this trend continues in Italy, we risk a second lockdown”. The president of the Nino Cartabellotta Foundation launches his warning on Twitter.

The independent monitoring of the Gimbe Foundation detects in the week 5-11 August, compared to the previous one, a 46% increase in new cases (2,818 vs 1,931), although there was a consistent decrease in diagnostic swabs (174,671 vs 187,316).

With regard to hospital data on the increase (801 vs 761) patients hospitalized with symptoms and those in intensive care (49 vs 41). In detail, there are +44 deaths (+ 0.1%), +8 hospitalizations in intensive care, (+ 19.5%), +40 hospitalized with symptoms (+ 5.3%). In total, new cases increased by 2,818 units (+ 1.1%). While 12,645 fewer diagnostic swabs were performed, -6.8%. (Total buffers: -17.967, i.e. -5.1%).

Nino Cartabellotta comments on the data as follows: “From 5 to 11 August, not only is a clear growth trend in new cases confirmed and, to a lesser extent, in hospitalized patients with symptoms, but for the first time since the beginning of April, there has been an increase in hospitalizations in intensive care. which invite us not to let our guard down and to maintain a great sense of individual and collective responsibility “.

Also in the week 5-11 August there are considerable regional variability: in 5 Regions there is an overall reduction of 31 new cases compared to the previous week, with minimal variations ranging from -2 in the Prov. Aut. Of Trento at -13 of the Prov. Aut. Of Bolzano. 15 Regions instead recorded an increase in new cases: Lombardy (+198) and Sicily (+153) stand out, while elsewhere the increases range from +5 in the Aosta Valley to +98 in Piedmont. The Marche Region is stable.

“As an indicator of the spread of the infection – explains the president – we re-evaluated the geographical distribution of the 13,561 active cases as of 11 August, the ‘currently positive’ cases according to the name of the Civil Protection, which increased by 1,079 units overall compared to the previous week” .

40.7% is concentrated in Lombardy (5,514); a further 47.8% is distributed between Emilia-Romagna (1,790), Veneto (1,300), Lazio (1,101), Piedmont (822), Sicily (538), Tuscany (535), Campania (402); the remaining 1,559 cases (11.5%) in 11 Regions and 2 autonomous Provinces with a range that varies from 15 in Valle d’Aosta to 229 in Puglia.

“In general – explains the President – in the context of an epidemiological picture of endemic circulation of the virus, the progressive increase in new cases is evident, whether they are autochthonous, imported (foreign) or returning from Italians who went on holiday to ‘abroad”. In fact, if in the first three weeks of July the new cases were stable (about 1,400 per week), in the last two they progressively increased from: 1,736 in the week 22-28 July to 1,931 in the week 29 July-4 August and 2,818 in the week 5- 11 August.

As we said, the dynamics of the rise in the contagion curve are progressively reflected on the increase in both patients hospitalized with symptoms and in intensive care, confirming that in Italy we are witnessing what is already happening in several European countries. “Unfortunately – adds the President – if on the one hand the Government and Regions try to implement new actions to curb the rise of infections, public communication continues to be influenced by messages that minimize risks, totally ignoring the dynamics and timing that affect the ascent of the epidemiological curve and relying on the scientific illiteracy of a part of the population “.

“The Gimbe Foundation – concludes Cartabellotta – reiterates first of all the need to adhere to the recommended behaviors: from frequent washing to respiratory hygiene measures, from social distancing to the use of masks in public indoor and outdoor environments where it is not possible to maintain minimum distance of one meter, in strict compliance with the prohibition of gatherings. Secondly, he invites the health authorities to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, both to identify and limit the outbreaks, and to promptly identify cases of imports from abroad. Finally, he invites all experts to provide balanced, objective public communications and, in the uncertainty, follow the precautionary principle. Otherwise the specter of new lockdowns looms over the start of the school year “.

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