“There is evidence of a clear deceleration of the epidemic curve, in line with what has been observed in other countries. The UK is seeing a reduction in hospitalizations.” Franco Locatelli, coordinator of the CTS, in an interview with the ‘Corriere della sera’. “Certainly we are in a delicate situation and with still increasing numbers as regards the incidence of infections” covid, underlines, “the percentage growth of the last week was lower than the previous one”. “The pressure on health facilities in recent weeks has definitely increased. The risk to be avoided is to harm patients with diseases other than Covid by reducing the number of medical or surgical procedures. A high number of infections among operators can also contribute to this risk. health care which is certainly not negligible. However, we cannot speak of hospitals close to collapse “, he adds, recalling that” in past waves such as that of last winter we have had, despite the absence of such contagious variants, double numbers of hospitalized both in medical areas and in resuscitation “. “It is the result of the large number of vaccinations carried out: almost 120 million doses administered and 26 million people who received the booster dose are extraordinary numbers and have largely protected Italians from the risk of serious or even fatal disease”, he says. Locatelli again in the newspaper. On the number of children in the 5-11 vaccinated range (21%) who have already received the first dose of vaccine, he says “more than appreciable results”, while the Ffp2 masks – when asked if they are preferable to surgical -: “Of course. Especially when there is a greater risk of spreading the viral infection”. Then the appeal: “Let us try to maintain rationality and do not deprive ourselves unreasonably of moments of leisure, culture and socialization, albeit with the utmost sense of responsibility”. As for the Omicron variant, now “identified in 81% of cases”: “The lower severity of the infections observed in Omicron infected people is given by the biological characteristics of the variant (lower ability to bind to lung cells) and, above all, by the presence of the coverage conferred by vaccines. It would be wrong to think, however, that Omicron, in subjects not adequately protected from vaccine, cannot cause serious or even fatal disease “.