Coronavirus: Italy death toll passes 10,000 as country records 889 new victims

Hardest-hit country records grim new milestone

Italy has reported a further 889 coronavirus deaths, bringing its total to 10,023 since the outbreak began.

The number of confirmed cases also surged by nearly 6,000 in a day to 92,742, according to officials.

Of those, 3,856 are being treated in intensive care and 26,000 remain in hospital.

Nearly 40,000 are in home isolation and 12,384 have recovered, the health ministry added in its latest statement.

Italy remains the epicentre of the outbreak with nearly double the number of fatalities of any other country in the world. Its highest daily toll came on Friday, with 919.

It also has the second highest number of cases, behind the United States, having recently surpassed China.

Doctors and nurses have told of working gruelling shifts to manage hospitals overflowing with patients amid a chronic shortages of face masks, swabs and basic supplies.

The northern province of Lombardy is the worst-affected, with more than 39,000 cases including 8,349 in Bergamo alone.

Earlier this week the World Health Organisation expressed hope that the pace of infections in Italy was slowing. However, experts warned that it was too soon to judge whether the epidemic had peaked.

“While the situation remains very serious, we are starting to see some encouraging signs,” the WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said on Thursday.

Italy’s national lockdown is due to expire on 3 April, but health experts have said containment measures could be needed for weeks beyond that date.

Additional reporting by agencies