Italy’s healthcare system on the brink of collapse, as the number of cases explode to 15,113 – with 1,016 deaths

Despite stricter measures enforced by the government, the death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak in Italy continues to rise, reaching 1,016 on Thursday — a jump of 23% over a period of 24 hours. According to the latest figures provided by the Italian Civil Protection Department, the total number of cases in the country has risen to 15,113, the highest anywhere in the world after China, where the virus emerged last December.

On Wednesday, the Italian government warned citizens that new containment measures — including a stricter lock-down of shops, bars, and other commercial activities — will take at least a couple of weeks to slow down the spread of the virus. Fears over the COVID-19 outbreak are also taking a toll Italy’s financial markets as its main index, FTSE MIB, closed almost 17% down on Thursday, its worst loss on record. Italy’s stigma as the hotbed of the virus in Europe is also having a major impact on airport traffic.

Operational activities at the two airports in Rome — Fiumicino and Ciampino — were reduced on Thursday, following a high number of cancellations due to the coronavirus outbreak. The company that handles both airports announced that starting March 17, Fiumicino will close its Terminal 1, while all check-in and luggage claim operations will be handled at Terminal 3. The Ciampino airport, which is mainly used by low cost companies, will completely shut down its passenger terminals from March 14. Despite Italy’s strict travel restrictions to contain the spread of the virus, flights in and out of main Italian airports have seen a steep decline and check-in areas have been almost deserted in recent days.

The situation has been further complicated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose travel restrictions related to Europe. Since originating in Wuhan, China, last December, the coronavirus has now spread to more than 110 countries. The global death toll has surpassed 4,600, with more than 125,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the outbreak a pandemic.   –AA

New study shows some infections could last for 37 days: Some people who get the coronavirus could be contagious for a lot longer than the two-week quarantine period that many countries are using, a new study says. Researchers looking at cases in China say patients could spread the virus for up to 37 days after they start showing symptoms, according to the study published in the British medical journal The Lancet. On average, survivors still had the virus in their respiratory system for about 20 days and could presumably continue to spread the disease, researchers found. “The shortest observed duration of viral shedding among survivors was 8 days, whereas the longest was 37 days,” the researchers said. – Miami Herald