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Eight hours ago Italy was reporting 79 confirmed COVID-19 cases. As of 1200 hrs (CES), the Italian MOH reports 132 cases confirmed, and 2 deaths.
As I reported earlier today, Italy is taking aggressive action (see Italy: Emergency COVID-19 Decree) in hopes of containing this outbreak, but at this hour we don't have a very good idea of the size or the scope of Italy's COVID-19 outbreak.This (translated) update from the MOH:
Covid-19, Civil protection: the situation at 12 noon on 23 February
"A total of 132 people who have been coronavirus positive. Of these two died, and then there is the Italian researcher who returned from Wuhan who has recovered. This is the regional distribution: 88 cases in Lombardy, 24 in Veneto, 6 in Piedmont, 9 in Emilia Romagna and 2 in Lazio (the pair of Chinese tourists). The total number of people who are therefore currently under observation are 129.
Of these, 54 are hospitalized with symptoms, 26 in intensive care and 22 in home isolation These are the data that we have recorded in this hour ". To take stock of the situation related to the outbreaks of coronaviruses in our country, this morning was the head of Civil Protection Angelo Borrelli during a press conference at 12.30.
"Over 3,000 swabs have been carried out. At the moment, thousands of beds are already available in dozens of military structures in Italy in case it is necessary to put citizens in quarantine - explained Borrelli -. The Army has made available 3,412 beds in over a thousand rooms, while the Air Force has given about 1,750 of them. We have also made a survey with the regions for hotels - he added - and we are ready to use them ".
As for the 'patient zero', "we have not yet been able to find it. It is therefore still difficult to formulate hypotheses on diffusion".
Consult the news of Nuovo coronavirus , the news of Infectious diseases
