From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Italy reports 683 more deaths as rise in new cases level off
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleROME — Italy has added 683 more dead and 5,210 infections to its coronavirus toll, but its initial steep rise in cases has continued to level off two weeks into a nationwide lockdown.
The new figures brought the number of infections to 74,386 and placed Italy on track to overtake China in the next day or two in having the most reported cases in the world.
Italy last week reported more dead than China and today registers a total of 7,503 dead with the virus, confirming its place as the European epicenter of the pandemic.
Dr. Massimo Galli of Milan’s Sacco Hospital says that the infections being verified in these days result from before many of the containment measures went into effect March 11. He tells SKY TG24 that in his estimation the restrictions won’t be lifted any time soon.
“This is hard, but the numbers and facts say it,” Galli says.
His team at the Sacco Hospital has determined that the virus has been circulating in Italy since January 25-26, and that it took almost a month for it to become recognized, around February 20-21. That puts Italy as of March 3 at the same place Wuhan, China was on January 25, he said, noting that China is only coming out of tight restrictions now, two months later.
— AP
The Times of Israel Community.