Italian Health Minister Says Country In Difficult COVID-19 Situation

Italy, like the rest of Europe, is now experiencing difficult times with an increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 and the spread of the coronavirus Omicron variant, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2021) Italy, like the rest of Europe, is now experiencing difficult times with an increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 and the spread of the coronavirus Omicron variant, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Wednesday.

"Things are not simple at the moment... We are in the middle of the pandemic, with numbers rising all over Europe and also in our country, although with slightly lower numbers," Speranza said during the Healthcare Summit, as quoted by Italian national news agency ANSA.

The minister also added that the only way out of the current situation is to boost vaccination, noting that Italy is now witnessing an "encouraging" increase in the number of those vaccinated.

Earlier on Wednesday, ANSA reported that even the leaders of the Italian anti-vax movement are changing their attitude towards vaccination as the number of unvaccinated hospitalized due to COVID-19 increased by 17%.

Italy's total case count is over 5 million, while the death toll stands at 133,739.