Coronavirus in Italy -- live updates, cases, and news

Italy is one of the most heavily affected countries by COVID-19. A slow response combined with a gentrified population and a lack of previous information paved the way for the coronavirus outbreak to surge. The data is updated automatically.

Coronavirus Italy Live Updates

Italy is the first country outside of Asia to suffer a major COVID-19 outbreak. Lombardia was the most heavily affected area.

Already, many of the cases in Italy are recovered and this map might not be representative of where the biggest outbreaks are right now.

New coronavirus cases today

As the epidemic progresses, it’s important to also keep an eye on where the new hotspots are — where most cases are appearing.

For now, this largely coincides with where the most total cases are, but this might change over the future.

Italy’s new cases

This is a good indication of flattening the curve. If this is flat or going down, it suggests the epidemic curve is being flattened.

How Italy is testing for the coronavirus

The number of detected cases might also be going down if a country is testing less. At the time of this writing, Italy has apparently flattened the curve, but it has also slightly reduced the number of tests, and the percentage of positive tests has actually gone up. This could be an important metric to consider as the country progresses in the outbreak.

ICU can confirm positive news

However, Italy seems to have indeed flattened the curve (at the time of this writing), as it is indicated by the number of intensive care unit (ICU) cases. Hospitals in Italy are indeed getting a breather.

Overall hospitalization rates are also going down, though it is a much slower change.

How the epidemic looks like in Italy

It’s impossible to sum up the effects of such a devastating epidemic in numbers.

Still a long way to go

It can take up to two weeks for COVID-19 symptoms to set in. It can take a few more days for people with severe symptoms to be admitted into hospitals. From there, it also takes a few days before they get better… or they don’t.

As a result, there is a lag between the different metrics. Even as the new cases might go down, the number of new fatalities might still be going up, before going down, and the total number of fatalities continues to grow.

At the moment, Italy seems to have flattened the curve, but the net number of infections is still growing. Then, after the lockdown will invariably get eased, the number of cases will also probably start to go up.

Italy is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but there’s still a very long way to go. As long as the chart below does not dip in the negative, the number of coronavirus cases in Italy continue to go up.

More data

Data never tells the full story, but it’s always useful to have. Here is the additional data we have available, courtesy of this dataset.

Coronavirus precautions

Wash your hands. You’ve heard this a million times, and there’s a reason for it: it works. Soap and water is your best option, but sanitizer also works if applied correctly. Wash hands thoroughly for 20+ seconds.
Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
Disinfect commonly touched objects — especially your phone, but also things like doorknobs.
Clean your room and bathroom. This is is good hygienic practice in general, but a preliminary study suggests that disinfecting your room is effective at removing the virus. Here is a list of EPA-approved disinfectants.
Cough and sneeze in your elbow or in a tissue that you immediately dispose of safely.
If you can work from home, do that.
Practice (temporary) social distancing. Avoid large gatherings, try to stay 1+ meter (3+ feet) away from people.
Plan ahead, but be considerate. Consider some preparations in anticipation of social distancing or supply chain shortages, but don’t take more than you need and be considerate of others in your community. Your best chance of not getting sick is if your local community doesn’t get sick.

Latest News and Updates

April 7, 2020

The total number of confirmed cases increased by 3,599, the lowest daily rise since March 17. Still, Italy remains the hardest-hit country in the world with 16,523 confirmed deaths from the virus. As of Monday, 22,837 Italians were declared recovered from COVID-19.

April 1, 2020

Turkish officials said that health supplies for Spain and Italy departed from Etimesgut airport in the capital Ankara.
Italy has extended its lockdown until 13 April but signs are emerging that the rate of coronavirus infection maybe reaching a plateau.

March 31, 2020

Italy’s health ministry reported that there were at least 101,739 total cases of infection among its 60 million citizens. But the ministry said the rate of new cases declined.

March 30, 2020

Lockdowns and stringent measures in place in Italy for the past two weeks should lead soon to stabilization in its coronavirus epidemic, but vigilant follow-up will be required, a senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy climbed by 812 to 11,591, the Civil Protection Agency said.

March 28, 2020

Italy has reported 919 coronavirus fatalities, the highest number any country has seen in the space of 24 hours since the outbreak began. The total number of people who have died as a result of COVID-19 in the country now stands at 9,134.
The Italian Police can use drones to monitor the movements of citizens during the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was announced Monday after the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) confirmed the request for additional support from “many local police units”.

March 26, 2020

Cases might have peaked in northern Lombardia. However, there are concerns about rapid rises in southern Italy.
Official announcements now show that cases in Lombardia are still growing, though at a decelerated speed.
Italy’s latest announcement takes the global number of cases to over 500,000.
Italy’s cases seem to be moving south at a drastic speed.
Russia’s aid to Italy is mostly useless. Critics claim Russia tried to use aid as political leverage instead of actually helping.
A Champions League football game might have been a coronavirus time bomb.

March 25, 2020

WHO: coronavirus in Italy may peak this week.
Another Russian aid plane arrives in Italy.
Overall situation in Italy much worse than it was in China.
Coronavirus cases in Italy likely 10 times higher than official estimates, some officials are claiming. Without mass testing, it’s impossible to tell.

March 24, 2020

New infections seem to slow down, but situation remains critical.
Hope in Italy as number of new infections seems to slow, but the worst might be yet to come.

March 23, 2020

Rare glimpse of hope: Italy’s number of new cases drops to five-day low.
Several reports suggesting the number of new cases in Italy continues to drop. Still too early to tell anything, but hope is emerging.
Opinion: Italy’s case might be less of a worst-case scenario, and more of a preview.
Grandma, 95, recovers from COVID-19.

March 22, 2020

Italy shuts all non-essential businesses after number of cases continues to grow.
Non-essential movement inside the country banned.
Quarantine measures continue to tighten in several parts of Italy, as the outbreak continues to unfold.
Despite containment measures, the number of cases shows little sign of stopping.
Russian Army sending hard-hit Italy coronavirus aid after Putin phone call.
Czech Republic reportedly seizes mask shipment from China to Italy. Official version unclear.

March 21, 2020

In Italy, the coronavirus seems to take a higher toll on men.
How the coronavirus turned Italy upside down within a month — not enough measures.
Italy’s infections continue to surge, while medical system continues to be overrun.
Italy reported 627 new coronavirus deaths on Friday, its highest number in a single day. The total number of deaths so far has passed 4,000.
Italy’s nightmare is a lesson for the world. We’d be wise to learn from it as soon as possible.
A “plague diary” — how the coronavirus quarantine is seen from the heart of the outbreak.
Italian people develop “quarantine entertainment” to get through quarantine.

March 20, 2020

Lombardy leadership said the national government had agreed to deploy the army in his region to enforce the lockdown against the coronavirus epidemic, which is not slowing down.
Italy military officially called to enforce the quarantine.
Italy reports its worst day since the outbreak began. Officially, the outbreak in Italy has surpassed that in China, and continues to accelerate.
Several regions impose tougher restrictions, as the rest of the country braces for the outbreak.
An important read about how the Italian health system was overwhelmed — and what this can mean for the rest of the world.
Priests in Italy seem to get more sick than doctors.

March 19, 2020

Italy has overtaken China as the country with the most deaths related to the coronavirus outbreak, registering 3,405 fatalities. China has so far reported 3,242 coronavirus-related deaths.

March 18, 2020

Italy reported 345 new coronavirus deaths in the country over the last 24 hours taking its total death toll to 2,503 – an increase of 16 percent. The total number of cases rose to 31,506.
Italy will rush 10,000 student doctors into service, scrapping their final exams, in an effort to help the struggling health service cope with the coronavirus onslaught.

March 17, 2020

Italy approved 25 billion euros ($28 billion) of spending measures to help the fragile economy
The country recorded 3,590 cases and 398 deaths in a 24-hour period, Italy’s Civil Protection chief, Angelo Borrelli, said

March 16, 2020

Death toll the coronavirus outbreak in the northern region of Lombardy rose to 1,420 from 1,218 yesterday. The latest national death toll figure is due to be released later in the day. On Sunday, the figure stood at 1,809.

March 15, 2020

Italy’s coronavirus cases increased by over 3,500 cases in the past 24 hours with 368 deaths coming as a result of the pandemic, Head of Italy’s Civil Protection Department Angelo Borrelli announced on Sunday.
Younger people are contracting coronavirus in Italy, according to a health official.

March 14, 2020

Italy is the ‘ground zero’ of coronavirus in Italy. Here’s how it got there.
Coronavirus cases in Italy continue to increase at an alarming rate: 20% in a single day.
Italy is also reporting a younger type of patient: 40 to 45 years old. This is a noted change from what was generally observed in China.
Heartwarming moments as a violinist performes in his balcony in Italy. The sense of camaraderie and hope is inspiring. Several videos show ballads being sung in different cities. Italians are creating hope in a dreadful situation.
Workspace rules tightened.
Germany to send face masks to help Italian health workers.

March 13, 2020

Snopes fact checks social media claims about the coronavirus in Italy.
World Health Organization: Europe new epicentre of coronavirus pandemic. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva that “more cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic.”
As of today, Italy has recorded over 1,000 deaths from Covid-19.
The drastic lockdowns imposed by the government seem to have slowed the spread rate of the disease. However, Italy remains the worst affected country in the world after China.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Wednesday that more money will be set aside to deal with the outbreak: to 25 billion euros ($28.3 billion), significantly more than the 7.5 billion euros announced last week.
Italian-American car manufacturer Fiat Chrysler is considering temporarily closing its factories in Italy, according to CNBC.

March 11, 2020

How do you lock down a country such as Italy? For some big companies, it’s business as usual. For other, it’s an existential threat — especially small companies.
Italy officially surpasses 10,000 cases.
There are rumors of many shops closing down (with the exception of groceries and pharmacies). UPDATE: Confirmed — Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said all shops would be shuttered except supermarkets, food stores and chemists.
An Italian financial crisis seems certain by this point.
Italy’s case fatality rate is the highest observed.
Ripples from the government’s initial confusing response are still felt, as many citizens are unsure what to do.

March 10, 2020

Coronavirus in Italy — whole country on lockdown

Italy extends containment measures nationwide. All large public gatherings are banned. Schools, universities, nightclubs, cultural places, are shut down for the quarantine.
Ryan Air cancels all flights to and from Italy; most flights in and out of the country are cancelled.
Public transportation is functioning.
Riots at a jail end in fatalities. The riots started as inmates were informed that due to quarantine, relative visits will be temporarily banned. The fatalities are believed to be caused by overdoses as inmantes raided the prison’s pharmacy.
The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has jumped by 168 to 631, an increase of 36%, the Civil Protection Agency said. This is the largest increase in the country since the outbreak started.

09.03.2020

Coronavirus has killed 168 more people in Italy in the past 24 hours.
Lombardy quarantine will be extended to the entire country.
“I am going to sign a decree that can be summarized as follows: I stay at home,” Conte said, according to The Guardian. “The whole of Italy will become a protected zone.”
“There is no more time. I will take responsibility for these measures. Our future is in our hands,” Conte told reporters.
Authorities have introduced checkpoints on motorways, toll booths, train stations and airports.
Now, Italy trails only China in cases of COVID-19.

[no_toc]