Already seen: overwhelmed, Italy puts two thirds of the population in the red zone

ROMA.- As expected, given that the contagion curve continues to grow alarmingly, with hospitals and intensive therapies on the verge of collapse, with a new decree Italy has now stepped up anti-coronavirus restrictions, once again forcing the majority of its population in isolation.

After a meeting of the Council of Ministers and after having heard the recommendations of the scientific committee of experts, the government of Mario Draghi has decided that from next Monday, March 15 to April 6, the regions of the peninsula which will have a weekly number of cases greater than 250 per 100,000 inhabitants will automatically be Red zone. Considering the toll of infections in recent days (yesterday there were over 25,000 new cases in 24 hours and 373 deaths), this means that in a dismal “déjà vu” for a psychologically beaten population and economically on their knees, at least two out of three Italians will again be in the red zone.

In fact, 9 regions will become “red” (Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Veneto, Frilui Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Marche, Basilicata, Campania), that is to say at low risk therefore under a strict quarantine regime. , with everything closed except the essentials, with schools of all levels obliged to return to distance education and with the obligation to stay at home except in emergencies. The rest of Italy, with the exception of the island of Sardinia, which continues to be “white” – the panacea, with almost everything open, but still with preventive health measures such as the compulsory use of ‘chinstrap and the like – will continue to be “Orange”.

In the same decree, as had been put forward, the government of Draghi confirmed that, as happened last Christmas, all Italians will have to prepare for an armored and “red” Easter at the national level: From April 3 to 5, whatever happens with the pandemic figures, all of Italy will be in quarantine, turning into a huge “red zone”. However, as happened during the Christmas and New Year holidays, it will be possible to move to each region in one private house, once a day, a maximum of two people.

According to the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) of Italy, which monitors the issues of the virtual daily “war bulletin”, the Rt, the contagion index, climbed to 1.16, meaning ‘expanding epidemic’. “In the week of March 1 to 7, a significant acceleration of the incidence at the national level continued to be observed compared to the previous week,” warned a report which analyzed the latest data and confirmed the alert regarding the situation of intensive therapy. , again at the edge of capacity.

“The national occupancy rate is increasing and above the critical threshold,” said the ISS, which certified that the number of inmates in intensive care units has increased considerably in recent days. Indeed, if on March 2 there were 2327 people in intensive care, yesterday the number had increased to 2859; The same happened with Covid-19 internees in various hospitals – until yesterday 23,247 – to such an extent that regions like Piedmont, in the north, have decided to suspend hospitalizations, except for emergencies and the ‘oncology.

The new twist came in the middle of the vaccination campaign – delayed by a shortage of drugs – and while the population is very frightened by the news about the vaccine from the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, after three suspicious deaths after its inoculation. Unlike other European countries, such as Denmark and Sweden, which have decided to suspend supply to AstraZeneca, Italy, which has already started investigating these deaths, has only withdrawn batch ABV2856 d ‘Where the drug suspected to have caused these deaths came from, as a “precaution.” Of this batch, however, several doses have already been used.

In the middle of a real psychosis, since many people already have in turn to get vaccinated with AstraZeneca, the authorities tried to send reassuring messages. “We must continue to believe in the value of these vaccines, the relationship between benefit and risk remains favorable. These events must be evaluated very calmly, the drug AstraZeneca is able to prevent the disease and its serious effects, ”assured Nicola Magrini, director of the Medicines Agency (Aifa). Magrini explained that this is why Aifa decided to temporarily suspend the batch under suspicion “until we have certain elements to exclude or confirm the causal link with the episodes which have been verified in Italy”.