Italy: Virus deaths hit highest point since April

ROME

Italy reported 731 more coronavirus-related deaths Tuesday, its highest daily figure since early April.

According to the latest Health Ministry data, the country’s death toll now stands at 46,464, the second-highest in Europe after the UK.

Experts explained that the latest data related to people who were infected 15 to 20 days ago when the contagion curve was still rising at a higher pace.

“That’s why we’ll have to wait longer to see a decrease in the number of deaths,” said Fabrizio Pregliasco, a virologist at the University of Milan.

The Health Ministry also reported 32,191 more infections, almost 18% higher than Monday.

Monday’s lower figure, though, reflected the fact that fewer swab tests were conducted over the weekend.

The infection rate, which in the past week hovered around 17%, fell to about 15% on Tuesday, confirming that the virus is now circulating at a slower pace.

The deceleration seems to indicate that partial lockdown measures imposed in many regions over the past two weeks are producing results.

Health officials have predicted that the curve may reach a peak by next week and then start falling.

“We’re now seeing a sort of stabilization of the daily number of positive tests, maybe even the start of a decline,” Gianni Rezza, a Health Ministry official, said at a news conference.

After a strong response to the first outbreak in spring, Italy has been struggling in the face of a second wave of the pandemic.

With most Italian hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, the government last week toughened restrictions in five regions, which are now classified as high-risk “red zones.”

Under the three-tier system introduced earlier this month, a partial lockdown has been enforced in the red zones.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s government has been trying to avoid a second nationwide lockdown at all costs, saying it would be devastating for Italy’s fragile economy.