Italy exceeded 100,000 deaths from coronavirus | …

Italy this Monday exceeded the threshold of 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus with 100,103 deaths, of which 318 were recorded in the last 24 hours, barely a year after their appearance on the peninsula, the health ministry said.

The most affected regions are Lombardy (north), the country’s economic engine, with around 30,000 dead, followed by Emilia-Romagna (north, with nearly 11,000 dead), then Piedmont and Veneto (both in the northeast), with nearly 10,000 deaths each.

“These days, the health crisis has worsened. Everyone must do everything possible to limit the spread of the virus, ”warned the Ministry of Health.

In a video message, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced that “the pandemic has not expired and that with the acceleration of the vaccination campaign an outcome is seen not far away.

Last week, the GIMBE health expert group reported a 33% increase in the weekly number of infections from February 24 to March 2, with 123,000 cases, the highest figure since last December.

“Against these figures, we need stricter measures,” Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio wrote on Facebook on Sunday.

However, The introduction of new severe restrictions at the national level is another blow to the euro area’s third-largest economy, already mired in a severe recession.

According to a poll published this weekend by the newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, 44% of Italians are in favor of confinement, against 30% two weeks ago.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Sunday pledged to step up the vaccination campaign, which was interrupted by supply delays, as happened in the rest of Europe.

Italy estimates that he will have 50 million doses by the end of June, which can vaccinate “at least half” of the population, he said.

So far 5.4 million doses have been administered Italy and only 1.65 million people received the two doses needed to be vaccinated.

Stricter restrictions for the fight against the coronavirus entered into force on Monday in Campania, in the region of Naples, which thus joins Basilicata and Molise (south) in the list of areas deemed “red” (at high risk) , which are under maximum control.

The regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto (north), which were in yellow (moderate risk), have turned orange (medium risk).

To date, 10 regions have been classified as “orange”, six “yellow”, three “red” and only one, Sardinia, is “white”, with few restrictions (use of the mask and social distancing).