Italy records new jump in coronavirus fatalities, ending positive streak

The statue of Goddess Phartenope seems to look down the street Corso Umberto in Naples, Italy, 24 March 2020, where the road is normally full of cars and now semi-deserted due to the blocking of the circulation wanted by the Government to stem the danger of contagion from coronavirus (EPA Photo)

by German Press Agency - DPA

Mar 24, 2020 8:34 pm

Italian authorities report 743 new deaths from the novel coronavirus outbreak, a jump after two straight days of declining figures.

After a record 793 Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, daily fatalities fell to 650 on Sunday and to 602 on Tuesday, fuelling optimism about the possibility of the health crisis subsiding.

The total death toll now stands at 6,820, up 12.2 per cent, while the total number of infections is 69,176, a daily increase of 8.2 per cent, according to the bulletin from the Civil Protection Agency.

Recoveries are up by 12 per cent to 8,326, while the number of intensive care patients - a closely watched figure given the shortage of hospital beds - has risen by 6 per cent, to 3,396.