ROME (AP) – Italy reported 627 new deaths on Friday, its biggest one-day increase in the number of deaths from coronavirus. The head of Civil Protection Angelo Borrelli announced that the number of new cases of contagion also increased dramatically: 5,986.
The new figures raised the official balance of deaths to 4,032 and cases to 47,021.
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Authorities say most of the dead had health problems before contracting the virus, such as heart disease and diabetes. The numbers in the country with the largest outbreak in Europe occur despite a virtual national quarantine decreed to limit citizens from leaving their homes: only to go to work or buy food.
Mayors and governors in Italy have been demanding even stricter measures and the national government is expected to respond soon.
For days, Italian authorities have been saying that the coronavirus outbreak that emerged in the north of the country four weeks ago may be close to reaching its peak and that the number of infections may start to drop.
“We are not going to know (in advance) when the peak will be,” Borrelli added, before pointing out that some experts have talked about the number of cases reaching their peak “next week or the next.”
