Italy’s Covid-19 death toll surpasses China, hitting 3,405

Italy’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has risen to 3,405, surpassing the 3,245 fatalities reported in China.

The death toll rose by 14.3 per cent from Wednesday, the Italian Civil Protection Agency says in its daily bulletin, also reporting a 14.9-per-cent hike in the total number of contagions, to 41,035.

Recoveries are up by 10.3 per cent to 4,440, while the number of intensive care patients – a closely watched figure given the shortage of hospital beds – has risen by 10.7 per cent, to 2,498.

Lombardy, which surrounds Milan, remains the region worst hit by the outbreak, with nearly 20,000 cases and 2,168 deaths.

Lazio, the region that includes Rome, reports 823 cases and 38 deaths.