16,806 new cases were added on the 2nd! Lombardy plans to reopen the Fiera Cabin Hospital in Milan

News from "ChineseTown" in Italy

New infections again exceeded 15,000 – the Ministry of Health's notice on December 2 showed that 16,806 new infections and 72 deaths were committed in 24 hours; 680,000 molecular and rapid swab tests, with a positive rate of 2.5%; 698 cases in intensive care, 5,298 in general; and Italy has accumulated 5,064,430 infections so far, with a cumulative death rate of 134,003. Nationwide, 2,873 new infections were recorded in Veneto and 2,620 in Lombardy, of which 896 were added in the province of Milan (+374 in urban areas), +337 in Brescia, +247 in Monza and +225 in Varese, all of which were the areas with the greatest number of new infections.

Lombardy plans to reopen the "Fiera Cabin Hospital in Milan" – Lombardy is still in the white zone, but the regional government plans to reopen the Cabin Hospital. MilanoToday reported on 2 December that lombardy sent notices to municipal hospitals, including polyclinics, to report on beds, medical facilities and, in particular, the number of doctors and nurses. The area has warned hospitals that it plans to reopen the "Milan Fiera Cabin Hospital" if needed, when a large number of doctors and nurses may be required. For now, though, this is only a "plan", with no specific date and even uncertainty about whether it will reopen. Regional Chairman Fontana confirmed this afternoon that manpower is being redeployed "to get Fiera up and running within 24-48 hours when needed", but do not panic, "the increase in hospitalizations is a fact, but it is far from the alarm".

Scientists say they have found the cause of the thrombosis in the AstraZeneca vaccine – a team of scientists from Cardiff University in Wales claimed to have found "the cause of thrombosis after vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine", Today reported on December 2. The study, conducted in collaboration with American scientists and published in the journal Science Advances, said that the outside of the adenovirus, the viral vector used in the AstraZeneca vaccine, attracts blood proteins like magnets, triggering a response to blood clots. To detect this response, the scientists used a technique called "cryoelectron microscopy" that can take images of adenoviruses at the molecular level. In response, an AstraZeneca spokesperson replied: "While this study is not definitive, it provides interesting insights and AstraZeneca is exploring the use of these new studies as part of our efforts to eliminate rare side effects." ”

ECDC EU Map: Italy's 10 Red Zones – According to the ecdc updated epidemic map by the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention today, Italy is the only "two" countries (the other being Spain) that still has an orange region, Today reported. Of the 20 regions in the country, 7 are orange, 10 are red and 3 are crimson. The rest of the EU is all red or crimson. As a result, although the epidemic in Italy has become more complex than before, it is still better off than other EU countries and is considered a "country with a lower risk of infection". The italian regions that are still not orange are: Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria, Basilicata, Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia.

Milan kindergarten closed – Milano Today reported on 2 December that after the discovery of a positive case of COVID-19, all 120 people in five classes of the via Soderini nursery in Milan went home to quarantine. In a letter sent to parents, the principal read: "We inform you that, according to reports of covid-19 positive cases in via Soderini Nursery, as a precautionary measure and to protect the health of students and school staff, the isolation of students and staff begins on December 1 and ends until the deadline subsequently notified by Ats". The closure of the school was unexpected, and in general, when a class became positive, only the class needed to be closed.

Vaccine for 5-11 years to be available in Italy on December 16 – On December 2, Fanpage reported that Aifa has approved a Covid vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years at a dose of one-third of the dose of the Pfizer adult vaccine: the vaccine will be available in Italy on December 16. Silvio Brusaferro, president of the Institutes of Advanced Health, said: "It is important to start with the most vulnerable children. Even the youngest groups can be infected with COVID-19, and we know that even among them there are hospitalized patients and long-term sequelae of COVID-19. Aifa said the vaccine is safe and effective, there is no doubt that pediatricians are ready to do their part to assist in vaccination."

Areas that may enter the yellow zone before Christmas – Fanpage reported on Dec. 2 that according to data analysis by Gimbe Foundation President Nino Cartabellotta, there are several areas that are likely to enter the yellow zone before the Christmas holidays. On the one hand, infections are increasing, the epidemiological curve is also increasing, as are medical and intensive care admissions, and in short, it will hardly be a white Christmas for italy as a whole: "From December 13, some regions will approach the discoloration threshold, Calabria and Lazio are approaching, but not yet reached. But from the 20th, there should be a yellow zone." The only yellow zone in the country at the moment is the FVG region, and soon the next one will be the Bolzano Autonomous Province.

Pfizer: "Vaccines may need to be injected annually" – Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer and a Greek-American executive, said in an interview with British media today that the vaccine may need to be injected annually: "If I really have to make a prediction, based on what we have seen so far in this pandemic, we will most likely need to be vaccinated annually to maintain a high level of protection against Covid". Previously, many medical experts believed that after the third/fourth dose, people may no longer need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the pandemic trend changes.

"Infections will increase by 50% in Europe in the coming months" – Adnkronos reported on Dec. 2 that ecdc, the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in a document assessing the risks associated with the Omicron variant, wrote that current estimates of the severity of Omicron-related infections remain "highly uncertain," "however preliminary data from South Africa suggest that it may be more contagious than Delta." If this is the case, mathematical models suggest that Omicron is expected to lead to another increase in the EU's current COVID-19 infections by more than half." As of 16:00 p.m. today, "the number of countries reporting COVID-19 infection with the Omicron variant continues to increase globally, with a total of 352 confirmed cases reported in 27 countries." Most of the confirmed cases have a history of travel to southern African countries, and no severe cases and deaths have been reported in these cases to date."

Israel finds third case of Omicron – The Israeli Ministry of Health announced the detection of a third case of the Omicron variant, Fanpage reported on December 2. The Ministry of Health explained that this was a recent returnee from the UK, after the country announced that four Omicron variants had been detected and then changed to two. Following the announcement of the third case today, the Israeli Prime Minister and Health Minister announced that the Health Security Service's tracking of suspected cases will end tonight, and the authorities took immediate measures after the emergence of the Omicron variant. On October 28, Israel introduced new covid-19 measures, including banning all foreigners from entering Israel for the next two weeks. ——Calia