Italy: recordings and alarm due to mutation that accelerates infections



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While across most of Europe plans are being announced to limit Christmas and New Year celebrations, Italy continues to suffer from the second wave of coronavirus, which in 24 hours has infected nearly 26,000 people.

Even this second outbreak could be worse than the first, as the virus has shown a mutation that transmits it much faster, according to World Health Organization officials.

This is an early genetic mutation of Covid-19, known as D614G, which makes the pandemic more difficult to control. The variant is transmitted from person to person much more easily than the original wild type isolated in the city of Wuhan, China.

The D614G variant has become more popular in Europe and the United States. According to studies, it determines “a higher viral load in the upper respiratory zone”. In Europe, Britain, Italy and France, in that order, 50,000 deaths were quickly exceeded due to the rapid transmission of the D614G mutation.

Beyond the impact due to the severity of the second wave, the deputy director of WHO, the Italian Ranieri Guerra, clarified that the D614G variant is fully compatible with the vaccines that are starting to be distributed.

The official called for “calm” and said in an interview that “cases are slowing down, but the pandemic curve has not yet started to decline”. The peak will be happening soon, probably around December 7th, and “we’ll see the turn of the curve.”

According to Italian health authorities, the country has suffered 25,853 people infected and 722 deaths from coronavirus.

More specifically, 25,853 positive cases were detected among the 230,000 tests carried out yesterday, against 23,200 cases detected yesterday out of 189,000 diagnostic tests.

With that, the pandemic is already leaving 1,480,874 cases and 52,028 deaths in the country. There are currently 34,313 hospitalized patients with symptoms, 264 fewer than yesterday, while 3,848 people are admitted to the ICU, 32 more.

In Italy there are almost 791,700 active cases, while there are already 637,149 people who have successfully conquered the disease caused by the new coronavirus and 31,819 others were released on the last day.

More deaths in UK

Meanwhile, the UK government has reported 696 deaths attributed to Covid-19, the highest daily figure since May 5, when 726 deaths were reported.

The number of new infections also rose, to 18,213 in 24 hours, after falling the previous day to 11,299.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 56,533 deaths in the 28 days since the patient tested positive and a total of 66,713 deaths in which Covid-19 appears on the death certificate, according to the figures. from the British government.

Today, the regions of England will be officially known and will be at the maximum level of restrictions planned from December 2, when the confinement decreed in early November will end.

In areas hardest hit by the pandemic, social gatherings, both indoors and outdoors, will continue to be banned, and bars that do not serve take-out will have to remain closed.

Gyms, hair salons and other non-essential business establishments may reopen, however.

The executive announced this week that restrictions will be eased over the Christmas holidays to allow people from three different addresses to meet, although some scientists who advise the government have warned that these meetings can trigger infections.

“What it’s going to do is pour gasoline on the Covid fire,” he told the BBC the director of the Institute of Epidemiology at University College London, Andrew Hayward, member of the government advisory group.

“It is likely to lead to a third wave of infections, with overcrowded hospitals and more needless deaths,” the expert added.

Almost a year after the start of the pandemic, more than 60 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and more than 1.4 million have died worldwide.

The hardest hit. With 12 million cases, the United States ranks among the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus. It is followed by Brazil and India, which have more than 9.2 million and 6.1 million respectively.

UN warns of sharp rebound in gender-based violence

Amid a spike in gender-based violence during the global coronavirus outbreak, the UN demands determined action to protect women and end a “shadow pandemic” that claims tens of thousands of victims each year.

“The Covid-19 crisis has further exposed violence against women and girls as a global emergency that requires urgent action,” said the head of the organization, António Guterres, during the official commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

According to United Nations data, levels of violence, especially domestic violence, have increased dramatically around the world during the pandemic from already dramatic numbers.

In 2017, the most recent year for which the United Nations has complete data, around 87,000 women were intentionally murdered worldwide, including around 50,000 killed by relatives or partners.

Globally, it is estimated that 35% of women have experienced physical or sexual violence in the past, a figure that does not include harassment and which, according to some studies, could reach 70%.

This situation, according to the United Nations and many women’s organizations, has only worsened in recent months of health and economic difficulties, especially due to the effect of containment measures.

It’s what the UN has called the “shadow pandemic,” an unprecedented crisis of violence against women that is not receiving even a fraction of the attention given to the health emergency.

“We have seen the difference between the way our societies and our public services respond to citizens suffering from a fatal disease and to those who seek help from a partner who threatens their life or their health”, lamented the Director. UN Women Executive, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

In some countries, the number of hotline calls increased fivefold in the first days of the health crisis, while in others it declined due to the difficulties victims faced in seeking help. help as they were confined to the attackers.

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The original text of this article was published on 11/26/2020 in our print edition.

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