Professor Walter Ricciardi, a scientific adviser to the Italian health minister, on Tuesday, said it was incorrect to talk about an alleged second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the first had not subsided yet.
"There is no second wave because the infection cases have failed to reach zero, and now their number has once again started growing in the country, just as we assumed ... In reality, the first wave has not been over," Ricciardi told the Sky TG24 broadcaster.
The professor noted that the country had managed to straighten the epidemiologist curve, which went up due to factors like people's behaviour during this summer and first autumn chills.
"So, we can only call it the second wave if we mean a change of seasons but it is the same pandemic," Ricciardi added.
The daily infection rate in the country stood at 200-300 in June and July. However, in late July the number of daily new cases began to go up, exceeding 1,000 starting August 21. Throughout September, the average rate has been at 1,500 a day.