Italy coronavirus deaths jump to 52, cases climb above 2,000

[webfact]

Italy coronavirus deaths jump to 52, cases climb above 2,000

By Gavin Jones and Angelo Amante

 

Very few people are seen in the area surrounding the Colosseum, which would usually be full of tourists, in Rome, Italy, March 2, 2020. Italy's tourism industry has been affected by a coronavirus outbreak, with hotels reporting mass cancellations even in cities with few or no cases of the virus. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

 

ROME (Reuters) - The death toll from coronavirus in Italy jumped to 52 on Monday from 34 the day before and the total number of confirmed cases in Europe's worst affected country climbed past the 2,000 mark.

 

The increase in deaths was the largest since the outbreak surfaced 10 days ago in the wealthy northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Lombardy, around Italy's financial capital Milan, is by far with hardest hit, with 38 casualties.

 

The virus has since spread south but the vast majority of cases remain centered on the original hotspots, with the addition of Emilia Romagna, another affluent region which borders on both Lombardy and Veneto and now has more cases than Veneto.

 

In total, 2,036 people have tested positive in Italy, up from 1,694 on Sunday. Of these, 149 have recovered, the civil protection agency said.

 

"What is comforting is that 50% of the 258 people who tested positive (in the last 24 hours) have no symptoms or are being looked after at home," Angelo Borrelli, head of the agency, told reporters.

 

In total, Italy has tested 23,345 people for the disease.

 

The Lombardy regional government urged people over the age of 65 to remain at home, as data showed they were by far the most vulnerable to the highly contagious illness.

 

"All those who have died (in Lombardy) are people over 65 with underlying health conditions, especially cardiovascular problems," said Giulio Gallera, the region's councillor responsible for welfare policy.

 

In a worrying development, a policeman and a fireman based in Rome have also tested positive, authorities said, raising the risk of the virus spreading in the Italian capital.

 

Cases in Rome, Italy's largest city with 3 million people, had previously been limited to a Chinese couple on holiday and an Italian repatriated from the Chinese city of Wuhan - where the outbreak originated late last year - on a special flight and hospitalized. All three recovered.

 

On Monday the Spallanzani infectious diseases hospital where the policeman was staying announced that his wife, two children and sister-in-law were also infected.

 

The school attended by his son, in the nearby town of Pomezia, was closed and lessons were suspended in the university faculty at Rome's main Sapienza university, attended by his other son.

 

ECONOMIC HIT

The coronavirus is taking a heavy toll on Italy's economy, which was already teetering on the verge of recession before the outbreak, with sectors from manufacturing to tourism hit by a plunge in orders.

 

Several international airlines including Lufthansa Delta Airlines and countries such as the Czech Republic have reduced or suspended flights to Italian cities.

 

Milan cathedral reopened to the public on Monday but schools and universities remain closed and many companies told staff to work from home.

 

The top of the UniCredit skyscraper in Milan was lit in red, white and green, the colors of the Italian flag, in a sign of solidarity with people hit by the virus.

 

National statistics bureau ISTAT reported on Monday that the 2019 budget deficit came in at 1.6% of national output, the smallest fiscal gap for 12 years.

 

The much-lower-than-expected reading potentially gives the coalition of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the center-left Democratic Party more leeway to spend and borrow this year - good news with coronavirus costs soaring.

 

Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri announced on Sunday the cabinet would this week approve 3.6 billion euros ($3.5 billion) of measures to help companies.

 

An aid package worth 900 million euros was unveiled on Friday for the worst-impacted zones.

 

(Additional reporting by Elvira Pollina, writing Gavin Jones and Giulia Segreti; Editing by James Mackenzie and Janet Lawrence)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-03

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[Tarteso]

Mamma mia!!! How fragile can be the world waiting for a vaccine.

[tropo]

I heard last night that schools have been closed. I'm not sure if it is Italy wide, or just certain areas. 

 

[nobodysfriend]

COVID-19 will be around for a long time , even closing borders etc can only delay the spread of it , not prevent it ...

 

This outbreak is the result of the relationship between people and wild animals , as people are taking away their habitats around the world and now we see many more zoonotic infections .

[InsertNameHere]

Explains this is going to happen as it is already happening now. 

[InsertNameHere]

26 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

COVID-19 will be around for a long time , even closing borders etc can only delay the spread of it , not prevent it ...

 

This outbreak is the result of the relationship between people and wild animals , as people are taking away their habitats around the world and now we see many more zoonotic infections .

We are all Animals or should I say Organisms on this planet. It is the Human that creates these issues as he tries to be something other than what we all are. In these ideals and this thing called thought is where these problems start.

[SupermarineS6B]

I think the post missed out something...... "A large Chinese population trafficked by the Triads as cheap labour into Italy"............ Oooops........maybe that's why the outbreak has been so large......... 

[JHolmesJr]

2 minutes ago, SupermarineS6B said:

I think the post missed out something...... "A large Chinese population trafficked by the Triads as cheap labour into Italy"............ Oooops........maybe that's why the outbreak has been so large......... 

 

I was just wondering what the source of infection has been. Anything else?

Chinese tourists or Italians travelling in outbreak zones who returned home?

[SupermarineS6B]

7 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

I was just wondering what the source of infection has been. Anything else?

Chinese tourists or Italians travelling in outbreak zones who returned home?

I was sat with a Chinese man yesterday chatting about Italy and he explained why such an outbreak has occured, he said that he'd lived and worked there for some time and that the Triads were kicking the mafia inside out, then i mentioned the obvious link between Triads and trafficking......... Jack pot !    Simple really........

[marko kok prong]

Must have hit the local builders hard look at the state of that building in the photo.

[248900_1469958220]

1 minute ago, marko kok prong said:

Must have hit the local builders hard look at the state of that building in the photo.

Apparently they left in a hurry...tools strewn everywhere. copies of Hustler magazine....One guy apparently slipped on a banana skin in the hurry, a loud cymbal crash and canned laughter was heard as his butt hit the concrete. 

[DrTuner]

They are dying pretty fast, or have been in hospital for weeks already? Something about this and Qom doesn't quite match the Chinese version.

[rabas]

And now this  Coronavirus: Outbreak spreads in Europe from Italy

 

Why? Common use Euro banknotes. One recent study suggested the virus can live up to 3X longer on banknotes.

[AlienHermit66]

6 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

I was just wondering what the source of infection has been. Anything else?

Chinese tourists or Italians travelling in outbreak zones who returned home?

One of the earliest stories out of Italy made it clear: an Italian had been in China, and then came back and started infecting his old drinking buddies at their favorite pub and/or sports bar. 

[christophe75]

51 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

They are dying pretty fast, or have been in hospital for weeks already? Something about this and Qom doesn't quite match the Chinese version.

Welcome to the club.

????

The club of people who try to think by themselves...

 

Someone talked about chinese workers in Italy. You'll find them in France as well. And other european countries.

 

And I'm not talking about chinese local communities, people who have migrated long time ago.

 

I'm talking about the chinese peasant coming directly (sent obviously) from his farm...

 

Easy to recognize them ! (only our police forces are unable to see them and to control their papers, that they don't have obviously, but that's another story ???? ).

 

I believe that France will be the next Italy. Then Germany.

 

Those 2 countries have a lot of chinese tourists and business contacts as well. 

 

Until someone show me the proof that there is a specific "italian strain", or that italian or iranian have specific genes that the virus is attracted too... I call BS : it's just a "time lag".

 

France and Germany were infected a little bit later than Italy. Ockam's Razor.

 

But they will face EXACTLY the same faith.

 

 

[3NUMBAS]

most UK new cases ooriginated in northern italy and infected brits when they came back by plane so slash all flights from italy..but why has italy become a hot spot ?strange

 

anyways news of the italy strain here   https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1249449/Coronavirus-news-scientists-isolate-Italy-strain-COVID19-latest-coronavirus-update

 

 

 

 

[3NUMBAS]

now its slowing down   https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1242474/coronavirus-uk-is-epidemic-slowing-down-who-claim-coronavirus-news

 

Coronavirus UK: Is the epidemic slowing down? WHO claims 'iceberg' not as big as feared

CORONAVIRUS cases continue to rise, with an estimated 90,993 people now infected with the deadly disease. But a senior UN health expert now believes the epidemic could be beginning to slow down.

 

april fool

[mercman24]

everyone wants to blame the chinese , if you read the report, most affected areas are the affluent places, my slant on this would be richer people going on holiday and bringing this virus back to Italy, not the chinaman working in a chinese restaurant

[rabas]

19 hours ago, 3NUMBAS said:

now its slowing down   https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1242474/coronavirus-uk-is-epidemic-slowing-down-who-claim-coronavirus-news

 

Coronavirus UK: Is the epidemic slowing down? WHO claims 'iceberg' not as big as feared

CORONAVIRUS cases continue to rise, with an estimated 90,993 people now infected with the deadly disease. But a senior UN health expert now believes the epidemic could be beginning to slow down.

 

april fool

Loooog way to April, this just in.

 

WHO says coronavirus death rate is 3.4% globally, higher than previously thought

This is deaths so far of currently reported cases. Final case fatality rate CFR will be higher.