Covid Lazio today, “explosion” of infections: alarm from family doctors

Explosion of Covid infections in Lazio, where “1 to 3 cases per doctor per day” are recordedwith 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 – as stated 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”, says Maria Corongiu, infectious disease specialist and president of Fimmg Rome. “We are waiting to know which variant is circulating in Italy, after the KP.3 variant in the USA has already taken over”, adds 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 – underlines the president of Fimmg Roma – 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 100,000 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”.