Italy has reported 431 new coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, the lowest number in more than three weeks, as experts express hope that the country’s strict lockdown is working.
Sunday’s death toll is Italy’s the lowest since 19 March, when 427 virus-related fatalities were recorded.
The number of people in intensive care with COVID-19 continues to drop in Italy as well, with 38 fewer than the previous day, bringing the total to 3,343.
“The data show that measures are having an impact,” Professor Luca Richeldi, a scientific adviser to the Italian government, said at a news conference on Sunday.
There have now been 19,899 deaths and 156,363 confirmed infections in total since the epidemic began in Italy, Europe’s worst-affected country.
On Saturday, the US total of virus-related rose above 20,000, surpassing Italy’s total.
