ROME (AP) – Britain has become the country with the worst official corona virus death toll in Europe.
Italy, where the epidemic began, recorded 484 COVID-19 deaths in a single day, one of the lowest one-day deaths in a month.
However, those recent deaths have boosted the official death toll in Italy to 64,520, while in Britain the figure is 64,267, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Both numbers reduce the actual number of infections. Counting criteria differ in both countries, and many corona virus deaths are believed to have gone undiagnosed, especially in the early stages of infection, including the elderly in hospitals that have not been tested for COVID-19.
One of the leading causes of death in Italy was the first country in Europe to be infected, leading health workers to catch the virus, which is often unknown. Italy has a lower proportion of medical staff per patient compared to other European countries.
Germany, a country much larger than Italy, owns one-third of Italy or Britain.
More than half of Italy’s known COVID-19 deaths are recorded in the first uprising.
On Sunday, Italy raised its official number of 17,938 corona virus infections to 1.84 million.
So far, the area with the highest number of new infections recorded is in the northern part of Veneto. The Lombardy region of Italy has the highest number of cases and deaths overall.
Following in the footsteps of medical experts, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has tightened travel rules over the Christmas, New Year and Epiphany holidays. Those in Italy who run from December 21st to January 6th will not be able to travel between the regions except for urgent reasons such as work or health issues.
During the holidays, under nationwide restrictions, Italians cannot leave their cities because the government is trying to encourage more families and friends to gather at home.
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