Italy’s coronavirus death toll has leaped by 627 in a single day, an increase of 18.4 percent, taking the total to 4,032 – by far the largest daily rise in absolute terms since the virus emerged a month ago.
Until today, Italy had never recorded more than 475 deaths in a single day, while China, where the virus has slowed sharply, has never reported more than 150.
The total number of cases in Italy rose to 47,021 from a previous 41,035, an increase of 14.6%, the Civil Protection Agency said.
The hardest-hit Lombardy remains in a critical situation, with 2,549 deaths and 22,264 cases. Of those originally infected nationwide, 5,129 had fully recovered on Friday. There were 2,655 people in intensive care.
