Covid, exponential increase in cases in Lazio. “Protection measures must return” –

«Explosion of Covid-19 in Lazio», where «from 1 to 3 cases per doctor per day are recorded, with a spread not monitored by national numbers, since the swab detection system has been significantly reduced» and therefore the ministerial data are «strongly underestimated». The alarm was raised by the National Federation of General Practitioners (Fimmg), in light of «data from the Fimmg Rome network in the Lazio region, where Covid numbers are rising significantly, with real risks for the elderly and debilitated, to the point that the federation – we read in a note – has already sent an alert to family doctors with the measures to be taken, not least that of activating, in the practices where they have been relaxed, protection measures such as masks and distancing, providing the rules of approach and information on the behaviors to be followed to avoid contagion to the weak».

“The influenza pathology has given way to a significant return of the Covid disease, which circulated throughout the winter and then in the background in the following months”, the words of Maria Corongiu, infectious disease specialist and president of Fimmg Rome. “We are waiting to know which variant is circulating in Italy, following the KP.3 variant in the USA has already taken over”, explains the expert. “But the biggest problem – she specifies – is that all prevention and control measures have been dismantled, the monitoring of swabs has been interrupted, and therefore the risk of contagion for the elderly and frail is very high. Not least” among the worrying factors, Corongiu recalls “the fall of the obligation of individual protections in hospitals from June 30”.

“It should be noted – the president of Fimmg Roma points out – that the official data have some limitations as many citizens carry out the test independently, do not always declare the presence of the disease to the doctor and therefore a significant share of infections are not detected even by family doctors”. “The incidence in Lazio is currently 18 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, with reinfections at 48%”, family doctors remind. “The national system has detected 1,007 cases in Lazio, while in Italy there are 5,548, indicative numbers, but far – they warn – from the reality detected”.