Topline
Covid-19 cases in Italy hit their highest level in months this week as manufacturing problems caused Italian vaccines at a slower-than-expected pace, forcing some regions to return to green- lockout to prevent another rise in one of the toughest countries in the world. .
A large crowd of people on Toledo Street in Naples, close to each other with masks.
KONTROLAB / LightRocket through Getty Images
Key facts
Italy reported more than 24,000 new coronavirus infections on Friday, the biggest one-day increase in three months and nearly double the country’s daily infection rate for early February, according to government figures.
Italian officials have blamed this latest outbreak of a more infectious coronavirus variant first discovered in the UK, which has swept through Italian schools and become the mainstream of the UK. country last month.
The country is still well below its last fall: In November and early December, Italy reported more than 40,000 cases and 800 deaths on some days.
Tangent
Approximately 5.2 million coronavirus vaccines have been given in Italy to date, or 8.7 doses per 100 people, roughly in line with the EU average but less than half the US vaccine level. Italy sees vaccines as a way to overcome their latest surge, but EU-wide vaccination efforts – which negotiated vaccine treaties for all member states as a bloc – have been on the rise. broken by unexpected manufacturing delays. The Italian government banned AstraZeneca from delivering doses to Australia this week, and Lombardy officials have appealed to the government to send extra doses to the region.
A large number
99,578. That is how many total coronavirus deaths Italy has reported since the outbreak began. The Italian Revolution is the second deadliest in Europe in terms of total deaths, after the United Kingdom, and the sixth deadliest in the world.
Key background
Last spring, Italy became the first country outside China to engage in a major coronavirus revolution. The country quickly lifted tight locks and restricted travel, causing things to sink in the summer, but months after officials lifted these locks, hospitals filled and hospitals died again. in the fall. The country has lifted some of its travel and social distance restrictions since the last peak, but recent changes show that public health experts are concerned about the third wave of diseases and deaths.
Amazing info
Coronavirus infections escalated across Europe last week, including Poland and the Czech Republic, a move blamed by the World Health Organization for new changes and increased bias in relaxing social distance habits.
Further reading
Europe is halting as infectious changes rise power virus (Associated Press)
EU vaccine back in sight after Italy bans travelers to Australia (CNBC)