Italy records 969 coronavirus deaths, dashing hopes of turnaround

Italy has recorded its single biggest leap in coronavirus deaths, announcing that 969 people have died from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours…

An extension of Italy’s coronavirus containment measures is inevitable, the country’s supreme health council (CSS) said on Friday. “We are not in a markedly declining phase, but in a phase, albeit encouraging, of containment,” said the CSS head, Franco Locatelli.

Spain, another of Europe’s hardest-hit countries, recorded 769 deaths in 24 hours, bringing its death toll to 4,858. Authorities in the country withdrew 9,000 Chinese-made coronavirus testing kits from use after it emerged that they had an accurate detection rate of just 30%.