The number of people currently positive for coronavirus has dropped under 100,000 in Italy — Europe’s hardest-hit country. As the country began a gradually reopening from a two-month-long lockdown on Monday, the number of deaths increased by 195 to 29,079. Pressure on Italian hospitals continued to ease, with 419 fewer people hospitalized and 22 fewer in intensive care units. Three regions — Umbria, Basilicata and Molise — registered no new cases, while most were well under 100. Lombardy, the densely populated northern region that has borne the brunt of the virus, was responsible for nearly half of all new cases in the past 24 hours.-AP

Source: The Standard May 05, 2020 02:48 UTC