Italy sees fewer COVID-19 patients, prepares for post-lockdown

AFP

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to claim lives in locked-down Italy on Tuesday, though the numbers of hospitalized and ICU patients dropped, according to the latest tally released by the country's Civil Protection Department.

The total number of active infections, fatalities and recoveries has risen to 183,957, the official tally showed.

The active infections stood at 107,709, which is 528 lower than Monday. Of those infected, 2,471 are in intensive care, down by 102 compared to Monday, while 24,134 are hospitalized in normal wards, down by 772. The rest are in isolation at home.

Tuesday saw 534 new deaths, bringing the total to 24,648 fatalities since the pandemic first broke out in the northern Lombardy region on February 21.

Up to 2,723 additional recoveries were registered on Tuesday compared to Monday, bringing the total to 51,600.

Tuesday's numbers are up from a total of 181,228 cases on Monday: 108,237 infections, 48,877 recoveries and 24,114 fatalities.

Virus 'contained, not defeated'

Speaking during a televised news conference earlier in the day, Extraordinary Commissioner Domenico Arcuri said: " Today we can say with pride that not only have we equipped our National Health Service (SSN) with a number of tools, but also that as of yesterday (Monday), the quantity of these tools is greater than the numbers needed to deal with the emergency."

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte last month named Arcuri as a "commissioner with ample powers to ramp up the manufacturing and distribution of intensive care machines and medical equipment" during the coronavirus emergency.

The fact that the ventilators now outnumber the patients who need them "is a sign that the contagion is decreasing," Arcuri said.

"But we must not forget what we have been through, we must not abandon caution," Arcuri warned.

"The virus is still among us — it is neither defeated nor removed," he said. "We have learned to contain it, but the price has been many victims and the substantial privation of our liberties."

"This is why we must not make any hasty decisions," Arcuri said in reference to what the government calls Phase Two of the emergency.

Italy entered into a national lockdown on March 10 to contain the pandemic.

The lockdown, which is expected to last until May 3, will be followed by a so-called Phase Two, involving "the gradual resumption of social, economic and productive activities," the Italian government has explained.

Ready for phase 2

A key weapon in fighting the virus during Phase Two is contact-tracing via a government-commissioned app to be downloaded onto mobile phones on a voluntary basis, Arcuri told reporters.

Effective contact-tracing allowing the SSN to intervene rapidly and effectively to contain any fresh COVID-19 outbreaks is the only way to relax the lockdown without putting many more lives at risk, Arcuri explained.

The commissioner said the information gathered through the app would be used solely by the Italian public health care system for purposes of fighting COVID-19.

"Downloading and using the app will remain voluntary, and doing so will signify generosity, solidarity, and a sense of community," he said.

Arcuri also said that Health Minister Roberto Speranza is at work on a plan to build "a network of dedicated COVID-19 hospitals across Italy."

Arcuri revealed that Italy has so far carried out 2,244 coronavirus testing swabs per 100,000 inhabitants. "We can say with pride that we are the country with the highest percentage of swabs carried out per capita," Arcuri said.

He added that "a month ago, in Italy we had carried out 182,777 swabs, and yesterday (Monday), that number had jumped to 1,398,024 swabs."

He also said that as of Monday, Italy's 20 regions reported they have stockpiled a total of 40.3 million protective face masks.

"We have distributed so many of them that the regions have been able to stockpile them ahead of any future peaks in demand or in case the emergency spikes up once more," said Arcuri.