Coronavirus claims over 16,000 lives in Italy as ICU patients drop for third day

Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-07 03:38:40|Editor: huaxia
ITALY-ROME-COVID-19 

Photo taken on April 6, 2020 shows a closed luxury brand shop in Rome, Italy. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 16,523 lives in locked-down Italy, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries since the pandemic began to 132,547, according to fresh data released by the country's Civil Protection Department on Monday. (Photo by Augusto Casasoli/Xinhua)

ROME, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 16,523 lives in locked-down Italy, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries since the pandemic began to 132,547, according to fresh data released by the country's Civil Protection Department on Monday.

Speaking during a televised press conference, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli confirmed that there were 1,941 new active coronavirus infections compared to Sunday, bringing the nationwide total to 93,187.

Of those infected, 28,976 are hospitalized, 3,898 are in intensive care and the rest are quarantined at home, Borrelli said.

"The number of patients being moved to intensive care has dropped for the third consecutive day," Borrelli said.

Monday saw 636 new deaths, bringing the toll to 16,523 since the pandemic first broke out in northern Italy on Feb. 21.

In addition, there were 1,022 new recoveries compared to Sunday, bringing that total to 22,837.

Borrelli said Italians have so far donated over 107.5 million euros (about 116 million U.S. dollars) to the Civil Protection Department's coronavirus emergency fund.

The Department has so far spent over 19 million euros of the donated money on the purchase of ventilators and other crucial medical equipment and supplies.

Borrelli added that he has instituted a new Civil Protection Department fund for the families of doctors and other health care workers who died of coronavirus thanks to a donation by Italian entrepreneur Diego Della Valle, CEO of Italian leather goods company Tod's.

What's more, he said, an airplane loaded with personal protective equipment "donated to Europe by the Chinese government" has been "entirely transferred to our country via the European Civil Protection mechanism."

"Thank you for this gesture of solidarity," Borrelli said in reference to European Union's decision to transfer the Chinese donation to Italy.

Also at the press conference was Luca Richeldi, who leads the Pulmonology Department at Rome's Policlinico Gemelli Hospital and sits on the Technical and Scientific Committee advising the government on how to fight the pandemic.

Richeldi confirmed news reports earlier in the day that Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) Director-General Nicola Magrini has tested positive for the coronavirus and is isolated at home

"As head of AIFA, Dr. Magrini has a crucial role and responsibility in the search for new pharmaceuticals and new therapies for the control of this virus," Richeldi said.

With regard to the pandemic, the doctor said "today's data confirms the trend we have been seeing over the past few days, which (means) we are seeing effective measures of containment of the spread of the viral infection."

While the number of daily fatalities is still high, it has decreased by more than 20 percent over the past week from March 30 to April 6, Richeldi pointed out.

Also on Monday, European Commissioner for Crisis Management in charge of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, and European Emergency Response Coordinator Janez Lenarcic announced on Twitter that "Italy's Civil Protection has activated @CopernicusEU to map temporary health facilities as well as gathering areas in order to have a clear understanding of the territory for the subsequent monitoring of activities and public spaces during the COVID19 emergency."

Copernicus is the EU Earth Observation Program.

Regarding the lockdown rules which have been in place for almost a month, the Interior Ministry said Monday that between March 11 and April 5, police checked over five million people and more than 2.1 million businesses for possible violations.

On Sunday April 5 alone, police across Italy checked 186,741 individuals who were outside their homes, issuing over 11,000 fines plus 47 citations for making false statements and another 25 citations for violating mandatory quarantine regulations, the ministry announced on its website.

On the economic front, according to Italian business consultancy Althesys Strategic Consultants, the "stoppage of a large portion of Italian industry" because of the pandemic will cause waste management companies "losses of about one billion euros in turnover" this year.

Urban waste will also drop by "up to 2.5 million tons" due to the closure of restaurants and retailers and falling household consumption, Althesys said, adding that the drop in consumption will cause Italy's gross domestic product (GDP) to contract "by an estimated 6 to 8 percent" in 2020 compared to last year.

 

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