Italy records 93,835 coronavirus deaths, closes ski slopes

Italy on Monday reported 258 coronavirus deaths, pushing to 93,835 the death toll since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country in late February 2020, reported Xinhua.

The Ministry of Health also reported 7,351 new coronavirus cases, bringing total active infections to 398,098. This was down from 11,068 new cases recorded on Sunday.

As well, on Monday 11,771 COVID-19 patients recovered, pushing overall recoveries in the country to 2,237,290.

A majority of currently infected people, or 69,056, are in the southern Campania region whose capital is Naples. The second-highest number of infections, or 48,630, are in the northern Lombardy region whose capital is Milan.

The rest of the country's 20 regions range from 40,464 cases in the southern Puglia region in the heel of Italy's boot, to 138 cases in the northern Valle d'Aosta region located in the Alps mountain range.

NO SKIING UNTIL MARCH 5

On Sunday, Health Minister Roberto Speranza signed a new order shutting down ski facilities until March 5.

The measure takes into account the most recent epidemiological data communicated by the National Institute of Health (ISS) on Feb. 12, stating that VOC B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the UK and characterized by a higher rate of transmission, makes up 17.8 percent of total infections, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

"Concern over the spread of this and other variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has prompted similar measures to be adopted in France and Germany," the statement said.

In its weekly COVID-19 monitoring report, the ministry said that the "widespread circulation of viral variants with greater transmissibility... could be a prelude to a new, rapid and widespread increase in cases in the coming weeks unless mitigation measures are rigorously reinforced or raised both at the regional and the national level."

In related news, Speranza on Feb. 13 also signed new orders designating which regions fall into which color-coded zone, with the new rules going into effect on Feb. 14 and lasting for the next two weeks.

In a bid to contain the second wave of the pandemic, the Italian government late last year divided Italy into three color-coded areas -- yellow or low risk, orange or medium risk, and red or high risk -- with varying restrictions according to the level of transmission of the virus.

The good news is none of Italy's regions are designated as red zones, where near-total lockdown rules would be in place.

LIMITS ON TRAVEL FROM BRAZIL, AUSTRIA

In an order dated Feb. 13, Speranza extended a travel ban on people coming from Brazil, except for travelers who are residents of Italy.

Those who are allowed to travel to Italy must prove they tested negative for the coronavirus in the 72 hours prior to boarding, get tested once they arrive, and remain in quarantine for two weeks even if they tested negative.

"The spread of the COVID variants demands maximum caution," Speranza wrote in a statement. "This is why I just signed an order that extends the limitations on entry by travelers coming from Brazil."

Speranza initially issued the Brazil travel ban on Jan. 16 through Jan. 31 after Italian health authorities identified a new variant of the coronavirus in four passengers arriving from that country. He subsequently extended it to Feb. 15.

Travelers from Austria must get tested before departure, after arrival, and again after a two-week quarantine, according to the new order.

ONGOING VACCINATION CAMPAIGN

Also on Monday, the Ministry of Health reported that a total of 3,044,535 Italians have been inoculated with a vaccine against the coronavirus. Of these, 1,288,023 people have received both doses.

Of those vaccinated so far, 2,058,022 are health care workers, 570,912 are non-healthcare workers, 328,920 are residents of nursing homes for the elderly, and 86,681 are people aged over 80 years who do not live in nursing homes.

Vaccination campaigns with authorized COVID-19 vaccines are underway in some countries around the world. Meanwhile, further 242 candidate vaccines are being developed -- 63 of which are in clinical development -- in several countries including Germany and Italy in the EU, China, Britain, and the United States, according to the latest information from the World Health Organization (WHO).