Still unexplained
The hunt for the origins of Covid-19 has for the past four years been a tangled web of politics, power struggles, and international finger-pointing.
The number of deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 578 on Wednesday, down from 602 the day before, while the number of new cases slowed to 2,667 from a previous 2,972, continuing the recent downward trend.
The number of new cases was the lowest since March 13 but the daily tally of deaths remains stubbornly high.
It has hovered between 525 and 636 for the last 11 days, except for a steep drop to 431 on Easter Sunday, which was immediately reversed the following day.
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The total death count since the outbreak came to light on February 21 rose to 21,645 the Civil Protection Agency said, the second highest in the world after that of the United States.
On Tuesday, the civil protection chief said Italians have so far donated over 122 million euros (US $133 million) to the coronavirus emergency fund, and that his department has so far spent 26 million euros of the donated money to purchase individual protection gear and ventilators.
With regards to migrants reaching Italy’s shores, Borrelli said his department is working to identify solutions and “the possibility of quarantining incoming migrants on ships, or in areas or facilities on land. So we are assessing the measures to be fielded.”
No specific vessel or location for quarantining migrants has been decided on yet, Borrelli said.
Under the terms of the government’s nationwide lockdown that went into effect on March 10 and expires on May 3, people are forbidden from leaving their homes except to fulfil basic needs such as getting groceries, walking their dogs, or for provable health emergencies.
People who tested positive with the virus and are under home quarantine are absolutely forbidden from going outside. Violators are punishable with hefty fines, and the violation gets noted on their criminal records.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world topped 2 million on Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins, with more than 128,000 confirmed deaths.
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