COVID-19, 1,481 new cases and 44 deaths in Italy

The weekly bulletin, published online by the Italian Ministry of Health, reported 1,481 new cases of COVID-19 in Italy in the second week of 2025 (from January 9 to 15), representing a decrease from 1,562 in the week of January 2-8. The number of new deaths remained stable, with 44 reported compared to 45 the previous week. The positivity rate has decreased from 3.7% to 2.7%, indicating a decline in the proportion of positive cases. Lombardy has reported the highest number of cases, followed by Marche, which has the highest positivity rate (12.6%). The number of hospital admissions continues to decline in comparison to the previous week. The highest rates of hospitalisation and mortality are observed in the 80-89 and >90 age groups. The weekly incidence of diagnosed cases remains stable in most regions and autonomous provinces compared to the previous week. Tuscany reported the highest incidence (5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), while no cases were reported in Valle d’Aosta in the reference week. Data for December 2024 highlight the co-circulation of different sub-variants of JN.1 that have received international attention, among which the recombinant XEC is currently the majority, as reported by the online health information newspaper Quotidianosanità.it.