Italy sets 2021 record in virus daily deaths

ROME

Italy reported a new high in daily coronavirus-related deaths on Friday, with a statistical leap to 718 from 487 the previous day.

The figure is the highest ever recorded in 2021, but it includes over 250 deaths recorded in the southern Sicily region, which were not included in previous calculations.

“Actually the correct number of deaths today is not 718, but 460,” the Health Ministry’s director for prevention Gianni Rezza told a press conference. “The number of daily deaths, however, remains very high.”

Friday’s death tally brings the total number of fatalities linked to COVID-19 to 113,579 since the pandemic hit Italy in February 2020.

The number of new infections rose on Friday to 18,938 from 17,221 the day before, bringing the total number of cases reported to date to 3.7 million.

Italy is still scrambling to contain a third wave of contagion sparked by new variants of the virus.

The new government headed by Prime Minister Mario Draghi has pledged to speed up the national vaccination campaign, which has been lagging due to regional inefficiencies and delays in vaccine supplies.

Draghi said on Thursday that Italy wants to complete its vaccination campaign for the elderly by the end of April and will focus on protecting older people, who face the highest risk of death/

He slammed younger people who are not on the priority list but manage to skip the queue, hurting those who are more fragile and vulnerable.

The government said it aims to reach herd immunity by the end of the summer.