Italy

ROME, March 5 (Xinhua) -- President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday urged Italians to trust the country's capacity to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, and to face the emergency with "harmony and unity of purpose."

"With no imprudence but also with no alarmism, we can and we should have confidence in the abilities and resources we have at our disposal," Mattarella said in a video message published on the presidential website, and later broadcast by national TV networks.

ROME (Reuters) - Italy closed all schools and universities and took other emergency measures on Wednesday to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Europe’s worst-hit country as the death toll and number of cases jumped.

The total number of dead in Italy rose to 107 after 28 people died of the highly contagious virus over the past 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said.

ROME, March 4 (NNN-Xinhua) — Italian authorities on Tuesday confirmed 2,263 coronavirus cases, which marked an increase of 428 infections compared to the previous day.

The figure did not include recoveries or fatalities, whose numbers were provided separately.

“We have 160 people today who have recovered, which marks an increase by 11 cases compared to Monday,” Civil Protection Department chief and extraordinary commissioner for the coronavirus emergency Angelo Borrelli told a televised press conference.

ROME, March 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has risen to 34, five more than a day earlier, officials said.

The head of Italy’s Civil Protection Agency said the cumulative number of confirmed cases of the virus had jumped to 1,694 from 1,128 on Saturday, virtually all of them coming to light since Feb 20 in the worst such contagion in Europe.

Of that number, 83 people had fully recovered, while 140 patients were in intensive care. The vast majority of those who have tested positive have few, if any symptoms.

ROME, March 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of cases of the new coronavirus in Italy has exceeded 1,000, the health ministry said, with the death toll rising by eight to 29 in the past 24 hours.

The number of cases has reached 1,128 since the start of the epidemic a week ago, up from 888 on Friday.

Around half those tested show few to no symptoms, the Italian health authorities said.

Official figures said 105 people were receiving intensive care hospital treatment as of Saturday.

VATICAN CITY, March 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pope Francis, who has been suffering from what the Vatican says is a “slight indisposition,” resumed official audiences with individuals in his residence on Saturday but three with groups were cancelled.

A statement said the pope, who had cancelled most official audiences on Thursday and Friday, celebrated his customary early morning Mass in the chapel of the Santa Marta guest house where he lives.

ROME (Reuters) - The governor of Veneto, one of the regions worst hit by an outbreak in Italy of coronavirus, apologized on Saturday for criticizing China over the contagion and saying Chinese people “eat live mice”.

Luca Zaia has pinned the blame on China for the flare-up in Italy, which has led to at least 21 deaths, saying that unlike Italians, the Chinese did not have good standards of hygiene.

VATICAN CITY, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pope Francis has reportedly taken ill and cancelled an event at a Rome basilica just a day after he prayed for coronavirus sufferers in Italy.

According to the UK Mirror, the pontiff prayed for coronavirus sufferers on Ash Wednesday, while masking free, and even took time to shake hands and kiss worshippers, including a child, in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

ROME, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Italy’s government, desperate to stave off a likely recession, played down on Thursday (Feb 27) he gravity of an outbreak of coronavirus, the worst yet seen in Europe, saying it only impacted a tiny fraction of the country.

But even as ministers took to the airwaves with reassuring messages, officials said the death toll had risen by five from Wednesday to 17, while the number of people who tested positive for the illness increased by more than 200, to 650.

New Delhi, Feb 27 (PTI) The International Boxing Association (AIBA) on Thursday cancelled the European leg of its continental forum in Italy, citing the novel coronavirus outbreak in that country.

The forum was scheduled to be held on Saturday in Assisi, where the Indian boxing team is currently participating in a preparatory camp for next month's Olympic qualifiers in Jordan.