Italy's COVID-19 case incidence up sharply - monitoring report

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 12 - Italy's COVID-19 incidence has continued on an upward trend, increasingly sharply to 78 cases for every 1000,000 inhabitants in the November 5-11 period, according to the weekly monitoring report of the health ministry and the Higher Health Institute (ISS), up from 53 in last week's report.
    Experts say that it becomes difficult to track and trace cases once the incidence goes over 50.
    The Rt transmission number was up again too, coming in at 1.21 in the October 20-November 2 period, a rise from 1.15 in last week's report.
    An Rt number above 1 indicates that the epidemic is in a phase of expansion.
    The proportion of Italian intensive-care places taken up by COVID sufferers rose from 4% on November 4 to 4.4% on November 11.
    The proportion of ordinary-hospital-ward beds occupied by coronavirus patients increased from 5.3% on October 28 to 6.1% on November 11.
    Both figures are below the respective alert thresholds of 10% and 15%.
    The report said Calabria was the only Italian region to be classified as low risk for COVID, while the others are all now 'moderate' risk. (ANSA).