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Italy Reports Fewest Deaths in a Week, New Cases Ease

Italy Reports Fewest Deaths in a Week, New Cases Ease

(Bloomberg) --

Italy reported the fewest deaths from coronavirus in a week on Sunday, as Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resists regional calls to loosen lockdown rules.

There were 3,047 new cases of the disease, the lowest in four days compared with 3,491 a day earlier, according to the civil protection agency. Confirmed cases now total 178,972. Hospitalized patients rose for the first time in six days.

Italy Reports Fewest Deaths in a Week, New Cases Ease

Italy registered 433 deaths linked to the virus, compared with 482 the day before. That brings the total number of fatalities to 23,660.

Milan’s Alarming Virus Trend Threatens Plan to Restart Italy

Conte said the country will stick to its plan to start easing a nationwide lockdown no earlier than May 4, after a meeting with national and regional leaders and medical and scientific professionals late Saturday. The government won’t change its timeline despite signs that measures to contain and treat Covid-19 are bearing fruit, Conte said in a statement on Facebook.

“It’s too early” to talk about phase two of the emergency, said Walter Ricciardi, a member of the World Health Organization’s executive board and adviser to Italy’s Health ministry, in a SkyTG24 interview. “It’s important not to rush things.”

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.