Italy: COVID-19 surveillance report is positive overall

According to the latest monitoring reports of the Institute of Advanced Health (ISS) and the Ministry of Health, the overall status of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its impact on Italy is still very low. The release date of the new report is June 1-7, so the second phase will be reopened on May 18, 2020. The time from exposure to diagnosis. As for the time between exposure to the pathogen, diagnosis and subsequent notification, in many cases reported during the week, the infection was infected three weeks ago (that is, from 11 to 25 May 2020).

Fewer cases. A general decrease in the number of cases has been observed, and there is no indication that health services are overloaded. However, although cases are decreasing in some areas, a large number of cases continue to be reported. 

Caution. This means caution is required because the issuance of SARS-CoV-2 in certain areas of the country is still very high. 

New infections. Within a week of surveillance, almost all peninsula areas were diagnosed with new infections. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet. These findings are partly due to extensive screening activities, investigation of the case, and determination and monitoring of the results of the signed contract, indicating that the Italian COVID-19 epidemic has not ended.  

Test tracking. It is important to maintain focus and continue to strengthen test-track-track activities in order to quickly identify all potential transmission hot spots and continue to control epidemics. It is also important to maintain a high level of awareness of the epidemiological situation among the general population and continue to respect all necessary measures to reduce the risk of transmission, such as hand washing and physical alienation, which is important. 

Conclusions. The lockdown measures have effectively made it possible to control SARS-CoV-2 infection nationwide, although this situation persists and the incidence rates vary widely among the 21 Italian regions/autonomous provinces. Transmission of signals continues, new cases are diagnosed within a week of surveillance, and new hotspots may erupt.

The report describes an epidemiological situation that is still unstable and requires strict compliance with measures required to reduce the risk of infectious diseases. It is also necessary to maintain a high degree of resilience in regional services in order to raise public awareness, actively seek and diagnose potential cases, isolate confirmed cases and maintain close contact with isolation personnel. 

Source: Ansa