LONDON – Italy on Tuesday reported 743 new deaths from coronavirus,bringing the number of total deaths to 6,820, still the highest in theworld.
The latest figures provided by the Italian Civil Protection Department showthat the total number of cases in the country continues to grow, but at aslower pace for the third day in a row.
Confirmed contagions rose 7% from Monday to reach 54,030. The total numberof recovered or healed people reached 8,326.
The epicenter of the Italian outbreak remains the northern Lombardy region,which counts alone 4,178 victims.
As Italy faces a crucial week to confirm if a trend reversal has beenachieved in terms of new daily infections, the government continues tostruggle on how to handle the emergency.
Guido Bertolaso, an emergency expert recalled at work by the Lombardyregion to handle the outbreak, said on Tuesday he had tested positive,sparking new criticism.
The Italian Cabinet on Tuesday approved a new decree that introducesstronger sanctions and higher fines for citizens who breach the stricterlockdown rules.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Saturday announced new lockdown rules totackle the virus contagion, bringing to a halt all the country’snon-strategic firms. But the measures were criticized by both oppositionparties, business groups, and trade unions.
Unions have threatened a nation-wide strike to protest against the measuresand the government’s management of the crisis.
After emerging in Wuhan, China last December the coronavirus has spread toat least 169 countries and regions. The World Health Organization hasdeclared the outbreak a pandemic.
According to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University, thenumber of confirmed cases worldwide is more than 407,400 with the deathtoll exceeding 18,200, while over 103,300 have recovered.
The coronavirus death toll in the U.S. neared 600 on Tuesday, while thenumber of cases reached 46,450, according to figures compiled by JohnHopkins University.
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The sobering new figures put the U.S. in the top three countries worldwidewith the most cases, after Italy and China.
New York City and the northwestern state of Washington – where thecountry’s first case was reported in late January – are the hardest hit,with 125 and 113 fatalities, respectively.
In all, 333 people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the U.S. have recovered fromthe disease so far.
Cases have been reported in all 50 states of the U.S., as well asWashington, D.C. and the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S.Virgin Islands.
The Johns Hopkins figures exceed the official tally compiled by the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which are updated daily but onlyfor cases reported by 4 p.m. local time (2000GMT) the preceding day.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he has activated theNational Guard to help New York, California, and Washington state respondto the pandemic.
After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to atleast 168 countries and regions around the globe, claiming over 16,500lives as of Tuesday, while confirmed cases topped 382,600.
Nearly 102,000 people have recovered from the epidemic.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic. -Anadolu Agency
