Cohabitation with COVID, zero infections impossible - Costa

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JUN 16 - Health Undersecretary Andrea Costa on Thursday said lifting a mask mandate the previous day was a further step to cohabit with COVID-19 as the zero-infections milestone is "unreachable".
    Speaking to TG2 Italia, Costa said that lifting a face mask mandate Wednesday - except on public transport, hospital and care homes - "is a further step that gets us very close to normality: reaching the objective of cohabiting with the virus, because 'zero' infections is an unreachable objective".
    "We have to cohabit with COVID and cohabiting means allowing our hospitals to continue in their ordinary activities.
    "Luckily, as of today, figures on hospitalizations are absolutely positive despite an increase in infections".
    The other health undersecretary, Pierpaolo Sileri, on Thursday spoke about an increase in new infections, telling Radio Cusano Campus that Italy is dealing with a "more infectious variant that is however not creating problems for hospitals".
    Sileri spoke about a "summer wave", which has already started in other European countries, and now in Italy, "that should however not be seen with fear nor obsession".
    "Contrary to last year, the majority of the population is vaccinated, with two doses, and 70% with a booster dose.
    "Everything will be under control, although this means using the usual precautions".
    New COVID-19 cases went up by 32.1% in Italy in the June 8-14 period compared to the previous week and coronavirus deaths rose by 6.1%, halting the recent positive trend registered in Italy, the GIMBE medical foundation said Thursday in its weekly monitoring report. (ANSAmed).