Exploding case numbers across Europe: almost 100,000 infections in Italy

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Nearly 100,000 coronavirus infections have been recorded in Italy in the past 24 hours on Wednesday. This is a record since the outbreak of the pandemic, Italian health authorities reported. The previous day, there were 78,313. 136 deaths attributed to the coronavirus were also reported. The previous day, there were 202. More than one million coronavirus tests were counted in the past 24 hours, which is also a record.

9.5 percent of those tested were positive. According to Health Secretary Pierpaolo Sileri, more than 60 percent of cases are due to the Omicron variant. Long lines formed in front of the testing stations. In some cities, test kits became scarce. 1,185 coronavirus patients are in intensive care units at Italian hospitals.

Relaxation of quarantine rules
Meanwhile, the government in Rome plans to relax quarantine rules for people in close contact with Covid 19 sufferers. Isolation will no longer be required for those who receive a booster dose, have completed the first cycle of vaccination, or have been recovering from coronavirus for less than 120 days. They must have a negative test five days after contact.

Quarantine is shortened from seven to five days for people who have completed the vaccination cycle or have recovered from the disease for more than 120 days. They also need a negative swab after that. Those who have not been vaccinated must continue to observe a ten-day isolation period.

Because of soaring infection numbers as a result of the Omicron variant, ten million Italians could be quarantined at home in the next ten days, either because they have infected themselves or because they have come into contact with people who have tested positive, experts estimate. Currently, 2.5 million of the 59 million Italians are in quarantine.

Other countries also reported record numbers of new infections: Denmark registered 23,228 new cases within 24 hours. The 7-day incidence is more than 1,700, the highest in the world. The United Kingdom also reported a record 183,037 new infections. In Ireland, the number rose to 16,428, with almost all new cases reported to be due to Omicron.

France’s Health Minister Olivier Veran announced 208,000 new infections to members of parliament, calling the increase staggering. The Swiss health office reported 17,634 new laboratory-confirmed cases compared to the previous day.