COVID-19 cases rise to 888 in Italy, 21 dead
The full total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Italy have increased to 888, including 21 fatalities and 46 recoveries, in line with the Ministry of Health on Friday.
A lot of the infections, or 531, were recorded in the northern Lombardy region, accompanied by the northern Veneto region (151 cases), Emilia-Romagna (145), Liguria (19), Piedmont (11), Tuscany (8), Marche (6), Sicily (4), Campania (4), Lazio (3), Puglia (3), Abruzzo (1), Calabria (1) and the autonomous province of Bolzano (1), the Ministry of Health reported.
Civil Protection Department chief Angelo Borrelli, who also serves as Extraordinary Commissioner for the Coronavirus Emergency, told a press conference at 6 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Friday that three more deaths were reported in a day.
"Three individuals died today," said Borrelli, describing them as two persons aged over 80 and one individual aged over 70.
Currently, 412 persons are under house quarantine because they're asymptomatic or present very light symptoms, 345 are hospitalized, and 64 are in intensive care, Borrelli said.
The entire numbers are up from 633 cases of infection (including 45 recoveries) and 17 fatalities communicated by officials at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Asked about the spike in cases, Superior Institute of Health (ISS) President Silvio Brusaferro, who was simply also present at the press conference, said that "the scenario is the one that hasn't yet been affected by the measures adopted."
It takes up to 14 days for symptoms to build up after a person first catches the virus, explained Brusaferro.
"We are measuring a phenomenon that's still evolving, and in the coming days we will assess the impact of the measures which may have been adopted," the physician said.
Officials first confirmed the coronavirus outbreak on Feb. 21, when six cases of infection emerged in the tiny town of Codogno in Lombardy.
In response to the outbreak, the government put Codogno and another nine local towns under lockdown in an effort to support the spread of the virus.
Throughout that time, another hotbed of coronavirus flared up in the nearby Veneto region.
Also on Friday, Italian President Sergio Mattarella called on citizens never to give in to irrational fears predicated on fake news.
Speaking before Rare Disease Day, which falls on Feb. 29, Mattarella said that "we have witnessed irrational behavior, the spread of anti-scientific theories ... and the spread of anxieties that transformed into self-harming behaviors."
"Today, as we face the emergence of an insidious new virus, we can better appreciate the value of science, (which is) a solid antidote to irrational and unmotivated fears that result in behaviors that are without reason or benefit, as sometimes happen even now," Mattarella said.
