Italy and France have had their highest number of deaths from coronavirus in a day, with 475 and 89 more fatalities respectively.
The Italy deaths – an increase of 19% in the last 24 hours – bring the country’s total to 2,978.
Italy also had a large rise in coronavirus cases, with 4,207 confirmed on Wednesday, bringing the total to 35,713, the Civil Protection Agency said.
The 89 deaths in France took the total to 264, an increase of almost 51% and much higher than the previous high of 36 deaths, as the country struggled with its second day of a nationwide lockdown.
Confirmed cases in France rose by 1,404 on Wednesday from the day before – an increase of 18% – bringing the total to 9,134.
Italy, the hardest hit nation outside China, has been on total lockdown since 9 March.
It is fast approaching the number of people who have died in China, which as of Wednesday was 3,241 – although at 81,102 China has far more confirmed cases.
Experts are warning the peak of the spread Italy may not arrive until mid-April in the north, so far the country’s hardest hit area, and possibly later in other regions.
“Citizens must know that this is not about changing their lifestyle just for one or two weeks,” said the head of the Italian national centre for epidemiology, Stefania Salmaso.
She told the ANSA news agency that the restrictions “will likely have to be kept for a long time”.
A small town in northern Italy began a trial of blanket testing its 3,300 residents and imposing strict quarantines on those infected, and their contacts,when the pandemic started in Europe.
On Wednesday the mayor of Vo, near Venice, said the town had not registered any new cases since Friday.
“Testing was vital, it has saved many lives,” mayor Giuliano Martini was quoted by the country’s media.
Andrea Crisanti, an infections expert at Imperial College London, who has been involved in the village’s efforts to combat the virus told Italy’s broadcast media that continuous testing and retesting of the whole population made the difference.
Professor Crisanti said: “In Vo Euganeo we tested all the inhabitants, even those who were asymptomatic.
“All citizens were put in isolation, so they could not transmit the disease.
“On the second testing that was carried out, we recorded a 90% drop in the rate of positive cases. And of all the ones who were positive in the second testing, eight people were asymptomatic.”
The World Heath Organisation (WHO) this week called on all countries to ramp up testing programmes as the best way to slow the advance of the pandemic.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “We have a simple message to all countries – test, test, test.
“All countries should be able to test all suspected cases. They cannot fight this pandemic blindfolded.”
Sky News
