Italy is the first country in the world for lethality from Covid-19. This was revealed by Johns Hopkins University after analysing data of the mortality rate per 100,000 inhabitants.

Another study, meanwhile, confirms a further fear: the second wave was worse than the first.

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With 11, 123 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, Italy is the country with the highest mortality rate for covid-19 in the world.  It is followed by Spain (10, 439), the United Kingdom (9, 949) and the United States (9, 497).

Italy ranks just third place, however, when taking into account the ratio of confirmed cases to deaths.

Finally, with 67,894 deaths, Italy is the fifth most affected country, after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico.

Second wave worst than the first one

Also as feared, the second wave of coronavirus in Italy has been far worse than the first.  In the last two months, in fact, mortality from covid-19 in the country has more than doubled. This was concluded from a new study done by the Altems Università Cattolica of Rome.

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The mortality rate due to covid-19, from 17 October to 15 December has doubled from 1, 453 per 100,000 inhabitants to 3, 340 per 100,000 inhabitants.

During the most difficult period of the first wave (19 March -17 April), there were 32 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

According to the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, in its report on deaths in Italy (updated on 9 December 2020), the average age of deceased coronavirus- positive patients is 80 years old (the median age is 82), more than 30 years higher than that of patients who contracted the infection. 

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Analysing the data of 5,838 deaths, for which it was possible to study the medical records, the Istituto Superiore di Sanità found that the average number of pathologies observed in patients who died of covid-19 is 3 to 6: 182 patients (3.1% of the sample) had no other pathologies, 724 (12.4%) had one pathology, 1, 077 (18.4%) had 2 and 3, 855 (66.0%) had 3 or more.

The first vaccine doses

The first 9,750 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will arrive in Italy on 26 December.  This is what the commissioner of the coronavirus emergency, Domenico Arcuri, said during the meeting between national government and regions.  The doses will arrive at the Spallanzani hospital in Rome, and from there will be sent to all regions in order to start the vaccination process, in a symbolic way, throughout all of Italy on the day of the European Vaccine Day, 27 December.

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