Italy Records The Highest Deaths Yet As 475 Die Under 24 Hours

Italy has had its highest number of deaths from coronavirus in a day with 475 more fatalities.

The deaths an increase of 19% in the last 24 hours brings the country’s total to 2,978.

Italy also had a large rise in coronavirus cases, with 4,207 confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the total to 35,713, the Civil Protection Agency said.

The hardest hit nation outside China has been on total lockdown since 9 March.

It is fast approaching the number of people who have died in China, which as of Wednesday was 3,241 – although at 81,102 China has far more confirmed cases.

Experts are warning the peak of the spread may not arrive until mid-April in the north, so far the country’s hardest hit area, and possibly later in other regions.

“Citizens must know that this is not about changing their lifestyle just for one or two weeks,” said the head of the Italian national centre for epidemiology, Stefania Salmaso.

She told the ANSA news agency that the restrictions “will likely have to be kept for a long time”.