A staff member cleans the stairs in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Rome, Italy, March 29 ,2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
A total of 756 COVID-19 patients died over the last 24 hours, the second consecutive fall in the death toll after reaching an all-time high Friday.
ROME, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 10,779 lives in locked-down Italy by Sunday with the cumulative total infections reaching 97,689, according to new data released by the Civil Protection Department.
A total of 756 COVID-19 patients died over the last 24 hours, the second consecutive fall in the death toll after reaching an all-time high Friday.
The total number of patients in intensive care rose by 50 compared to a day earlier, according to Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli, even as the total number of active cases of coronavirus in Italy climbed by more than 3,815 -- roughly in line with recent days.
Italian senators are seen wearing face masks, in Rome, Italy, March 26, 2020. (Xinhua)
Borrelli said the total number of people confirmed to have coronavirus in Italy -- combining active cases, deaths, and recoveries -- climbed to 97,689 Sunday, 5,217 above the level recorded a day earlier.
Borelli said the number of new cases was higher than 3,651 a day earlier, but evidence showed that new cases could be plateauing.
The total death toll reached 10,779, a day after Italy became the first country to record more than 10,000 deaths from the global pandemic.
Of the 73,880 Italians currently infected by the outbreak, 42,558 are recovering at home, while 27,386 are hospitalized with symptoms and 3,906 are in intensive care. Those figures compare to 39,533 recovering in-home, 26,676 hospitalized with symptoms, and 3,856 in intensive care. ■
