COVID: Rt down slightly, incidence up

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 26 - Italy's Rt COVID-19 transmission rate is down slightly while the incidence of the virus has risen significantly over the last week according to the weekly report by the Higher Health Institute (ISS) and the health ministry, issued Friday.
    The average Rt calculated on symptomatic cases fell from 0.76 to 0.74 compared to the last week, the report said on data from 19/08/2022 - 25/08/2022 compared to those from 12/08/2022 -18/08/2022.
    Incidence is up to 277 per 100,000 inhabitants from 260, the ISS and ministry reported.
    The transmissibility index based on cases admitted to hospital is also under the epidemic threshold, it said: Rt=0.75 (0,72-0,77) as of 15/08/2022 against Rt=0.77 (0,73-0,80) on 09/08/2022 .
    Italy is suffering major delays in administering the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the GIMBE health foundation said Thursday.
    "There has been a glaring delay in giving the fourth jab", it said, referring to the so-called second booster for which the over 60s recently became eligible.
    Up till Wednesday, GIMBE said "only 2.18 million doses" had been given out, a drop of 12.4% on previous vaccination campaigns.
    It said some 14.3 million of over 60s and fragile people, to which the fourth dose is aimed, were still not covered.
    In its latest weekly monitoring report GIMBE said COVID infections were up 18.7% after five straight weeks of falls.
    It said intensive care cases were down 15.1% and hospital admissions down 15.5%.
    Deaths were more or less steady, at 1.7% up.
    There have been 23,438 new cases of COVID-19 in Italy in the last 24 hours, and 84 more victims with the virus, the health ministry said Thursday. That compares to 25,389 new cases and 112 more victims Wednesday.
    Some 154,143 more tests have been done, compared to 174,227 Wednesday. The positivity rate is up from 14.6% to 15.2%.
    Intensive care cases are down five to 234 and hospital admissions down 166 to 6,004.
    The currently positive are 711,312, down 16,500 on Wednesday.
    The recovered and discharged are 20,858,626 (+39,851).
    The case tally since the start of the pandemic is 21,745,065 and the death toll 175,127. (ANSA).