ROME — Italy has recorded its highest day-to-day rise in the number of deaths of people infected with the new coronavirus.
Italy’s coronavirus deaths rose by a record 793 on Saturday, bringing the total to 4,825.
The country already surpassed China in terms of deaths on Thursday. Total cases also jumped by a record 6,557 to 53,578, the civil protection said by email on Saturday. Recoveries reached 6,072 while 2,857 were in intensive care.
Authorities said most of the people who died had existing health problems such as heart disease and diabetes before they were infected with the virus.
The soaring numbers come despite a national lockdown that drastically limits when residents are allowed to leave their homes. Police have issued citations to thousands of people for being out and about without valid reasons, such as going to work or shopping for food.
Mayors and governors throughout the country have been demanding even stricter measures. Italy’s national government is widely expected to respond soon.
For days now, Italian authorities have said at daily briefings that the virus outbreak that emerged in northern Italy four weeks ago could reach its peak in a matter of days and the number of new infections might start going down.
Information from Bloomberg is included in this report.