ANSA: National COVID-19 Rt drops below alarm level in Italy

ROME. KAZINFORM - Italy's nationwide COVID-19 Rt reproduction number has dropped to 0.98, below the alarm level of 1 and down from 1.08 last week, according to a draft of the weekly coronavirus monitoring report of the health ministry and the Higher Heath Institute (ISS). The incidence has fallen to 232 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants, down from 240 last week, ANSA reports.

The ISS said that the proportion of intensive care places in Italy taken up by COVID-19 patients has risen to 41%, up from 39% last week and well above the critical threshold of 30%.
It said 14 of Italy's regions/autonomous provinces were above the 30% threshold, up from 12 last week.
It said the proportion of coronavirus patients in other hospital departments was 44%, above the critical threshold of 40%.
According to a draft of the ISS's weekly COVID report, the RT rate is above 1 in 11 regions: Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Liguria, Marche, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Valle d'Aosta, and Veneto.
The report said virus variants «are still dominant» and restrictive measures «must not be eased».
Six regions have a high risk level: Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Puglia, Tuscany and Veneto, the draft report said.
Thirteen regions or autonomous provinces have a moderate risk.
Four regions - Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Puglia and Veneto - present several resilience alerts, the draft monitoring report said.
ISS President Silvio Brusaferro said the contagion curve was starting to come down, but «very slowly».
He said the saturation of intensive care units was «concerning».
Health ministry prevention chief Gianni Rezza said the situation was improving but the burden on hospitals was «still a heavy one».
He added that there had been outbreaks of the British and Brazilian variants «among young children too.» Italy's regions are anxiously waiting the full data from the report, which will determine whether they are high-risk red zones or medium-high orange zones in Italy's tiered system of COVID-19 restrictions.

Veneto and Campania are hoping to go from being red, meaning movements are limited and shops selling non-essential items are closed, to orange.
The restrictions in orange zones are far looser and all shops are allowed to open.
The whole nation will be a red zone from Saturday until Easter Monday.