Italy sees new surge in COVID-19 cases

ROME, Nov 26 (Bernama) -- Italy has reported yet another outbreak of COVID-19, with the transmission rate rising above 1.0 again, the country's National Institute of Health (ISS) said on Friday.

The institute said in its weekly report that the nationwide reproduction rate of the virus jumped to 1.04 in the two weeks from Nov 2 to 15, a dramatic increase from 0.88 registered in the previous week, Xinhua reported.

Any rate above 1.0 means the reach of the virus is expanding, with each recovered patient replaced by more than one new infection.

In addition, the overall number of cases totalled 388 per 100,000 residents for the week of Nov. 18-24, up from 353 per 100,000 residents a week earlier.

Earlier this week, the Gimbe Foundation, a health sector monitoring entity, reported that overall COVID-19 hospitalisations and admissions to intensive care units were on the rise. It also warned of a resurgence in the virus' reach as the weather cools, forcing more indoor activities and providing conditions more favourable to the virus' spread.

Italy no longer enforces COVID-19 health restrictions except in hospitals, care homes and other areas where highly vulnerable people are concentrated. Health authorities continue to administer a second booster vaccine dose tailored to reduce the risk of infection from new strains of the virus to eligible residents, though the process has so far been slower than at earlier vaccine rollout stages.

-- BERNAMA