Photo by Atibordee Kongprepan / Trevi Fountain located in Rome, Italy / https://www.flickr.com/photos/atibordee/13972414026
Italy cements its reputation as the world’s worst-hit nation due to the coronavirus, as it marks 10,000 fatalities yesterday, March 28, 2020.
This number was recorded, even after the increase in daily death rates slowed down on March 22. However, it marked 969 deaths on Friday, followed by 889 more yesterday.
The country has 92,472 confirmed cases, higher than the 81,997 cases of China, the epicenter of the pandemic. China also has a smaller number of fatalities at 3,299.
Italy has the second-highest number of cases, followed by the US, which has 105,470. It recorded 1,700 deaths.
According to CNN, experts point to two possible reasons to Italy’s alarming numbers. The first could be the country’s elderly population, the largest in the world following Japan. It can be remembered that the elderly is more susceptible to the virus. Not enough protective gear and medicine were pointed out to be another reason.
Italy has been on a 16-day lockdown that was supposed to end on April 3. A statement by civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli implies that the country will extend the closure of businesses and public gatherings.
He told reporters, “Is it time to reopen the country? I think we have to think about it really carefully. The country is at a standstill and we must maintain the least amount of activity possible to ensure the survival of all.”
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte addressed the nation on TV yesterday, saying, “If one is being reasonable, one cannot envision a quick return to normal life.”
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