Italy surpasses 17 deaths from coronavirus, but infections are falling.
Disease transmissions in Italy fell from 3.599 on Monday to 3.039 new cases registered today, bringing the total number of infected to 135.586. The total number of deaths from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic is 17.127.
(ANSA) - Italy has surpassed the 17 death mark due to the new coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) in the last 24 hours, with the confirmation of 604 new victims in the country, the Civil Defense reported this Tuesday (07). In total, there have been 17.127 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
However, the number is lower than that recorded on Monday (06), when 636 deaths were counted. Another piece of data considered positive was the drop in disease transmissions in the country, with 3.039 new cases registered today - compared to 3.599 this Monday - bringing the total to 135.586 infected. This number is the lowest ever seen in Italy since March 13, when there were 2.547 contaminations.
The Civil Defense also reported that the number of people cured of the disease increased by 1.555, raising the overall figure to 24.392, a number also higher than that recorded on Monday, when 1.022 recovered.
Among the good news, for the fourth consecutive day, the number of people treated in Intensive Care Units has fallen: currently, 3.792 people require this type of care, 106 fewer than on Monday. Of these, 1.305 are hospitalized in Lombardy, the region most affected by Covid-19.
There are still 61.557 residents undergoing treatment and home isolation.
According to Italian health authorities, the country is on a so-called "plateau" of cases after reaching the peak of the disease. And, with the slow decline in numbers, many voices are beginning to speak of relaxing social isolation measures.
"We hope to see a relaxation of restrictions, but it's important to bear in mind that the virus will continue to circulate among the population. It's not like we're going to reach zero cases in a week or a month and then release everyone," said Giovanni Rezza, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Higher Institute of Health (ISS), stressing that this is a "tough fight."
"We need to rigorously maintain all social distancing measures because any relaxation could mean a resurgence of the virus's circulation," he concluded.