The number of people who have tested positive for the new coronavirus since the epidemic hit Italy reached 17,750, Italian authorities said on Saturday.
The figure marked an increase of 2,795 cases over that of the previous day, and did not include recoveries or fatalities, according to the latest update provided at a press conference by the Civil Protection Department which is coordinating the national emergency response.
The death toll also grew by 175 cases on a daily basis to 1,441. A health operator of the Italian 118 emergency service in northern Bergamo city, Lombardy region was among the deceased, authorities confirmed.
An upward trend was confirmed also for recoveries. Some 175 people were dismissed in the day, bringing the total to 1,966.
Among the 17,750 people positive for COVID-19, some 1,518 were currently in intensive care (190 new cases), while 8,372 were hospitalized with symptoms, and 7,860 under home confinement as they were asymptomatic or with light symptoms.
Considering all data (including deaths and recoveries), the total number of assessed coronavirus cases in Italy was 21,157, the Civil Protection added.
Italy recorded the most coronavirus cases at global level after China.
