The coronavirus claims 837 more victims in Italy as the epidemic peaks

Another 837 people died on Tuesday from the new coronavirus, according to the latest daily data from the Civil Protection department in Italy, an increase compared to 812 on Monday. But the number of new infections continues to slow down.

About 12.428 people have been killed by the virus in Italy.

But while the death toll remains high, the number of infections increases more slowly every day.

Another 4.053 cases were confirmed on Tuesday 31 March, after 4.050 the previous ones and 5.217 on Sunday 29 March.

As a percentage, this means that the number of cases has increased by + 4,0%, + 4,1% and + 5,6% respectively.

According to the National Higher Health Institute, the coronavirus curve in Italy has reached a plateau but blocking measures are still needed.

"The curve tells us that we are on the plateau," said the president of the institute Silvio Brusaferro.

"This does not mean that we have reached the peak and that it is over, but that we have to start the descent and you begin the descent by applying the measures in force."

Italy still has 4.023 ICU patients, only about 40 more than on Monday, giving another sign that the epidemic had reached a plateau. In the early stages of the epidemic, the number of coronavirus patients admitted to ICU was increasing by hundreds every day.

Brusaferro has acknowledged with concern that the death toll may be higher than the official figures, which do not include people who died at home, in nursing homes and those who have been infected with the virus but not tested.

"It is plausible that the deaths are underestimated," he said.

“We report deaths reported with a positive swab. Many other deaths are not tested with a swab. "

In total, Italy confirmed 105.792 coronavirus cases since the beginning of the epidemic, including patients who have died and recovered.

Another 1.109 people recovered Tuesday, showed numbers, totaling 15.729. The world is watching closely for evidence that quarantine measures in Italy have worked.
While the estimated mortality rate is around ten percent in Italy, experts say that this is unlikely to be the real figure. The head of civil protection said there are likely to be up to ten times as many cases in the country that have not been detected