Health officials in Italy are reporting an additional 475 deaths due to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 2,978 as of Wednesday. This is only about 150 less than what has been reported in Hubei, China. The COVID-19 case total has increased to 35,713 with Lombardy region reporting roughly half the country’s cases (17,713). Italian officials also say there are 2,257 patients in intensive care and another 14,363 patients hospitalized with symptoms. –Outbreak News
The previous record high of 368 deaths was also recorded in Italy, on Sunday. Health experts in Italy said it remains difficult to predict when the number of fatalities and cases in Italy will peak, though some estimate this will happen between March 25 and April 15. With the whole country living under strict quarantine rules since March 10th, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has previously said it would take at least ten days for the effects of the lock-down to be seen.
The vast majority of both cases and fatalities have been recorded in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, which is by far the worst hit by the outbreak. The regional governor of Lombardy said on Wednesday that hospitals in the area may soon be “unable to help” any more patients as the numbers keep rising. He repeated a call for people to stay at home and respect the quarantine rules. Italian government ministers on Wednesday warned that they may tighten quarantine rules yet further, saying they are considering a complete ban on all outdoor activities including exercise, after 47,000 people across Italy were fined by police within one week for being outside “without a good reason. They main thing is, do not give up,” Italian National Institute of Health chief Silvio Brusaferro said in a nationally televised press conference.
Advisory: Some viewers may find the following video distressing. Hospital in Bergamo, Italy Patients in triage
“It will take a few days before we see the benefits” of containment measures, said Brusaferro. We must maintain these measures to see their effect, and above all to protect the most vulnerable. Imposed nationally on March 12th, the shutdown of most Italian businesses and a ban on public gatherings are due to expire on March 25. But school closures and other measures, such as a ban fan attendance at sporting events, are due to run on until April 3. A top government minister hinted Wednesday that the school closure would be extended well into next month, if not longer. The rates within Italy itself remained stable, with two-thirds of the deaths — 1,959 in all — reported in the northern Lombardy region around Milan, the Italian financial and fashion capital. The neighboring Emilia-Romagna region of Bologna has suffered a total of 458 fatalities, and Turin’s Piedmont region has had 154 deaths. Rome’s Lazio region has a toll of 32 deaths and 724 infections. –The Local.it
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