Italy has recorded 368 new deaths from coronavirus — the highest number of daily deaths reported in any one country so far.
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Nearly 1,500 now dead in Italy, shortage of intensive care beds
Italian authorities say they're worried about how much longer the country's strained health systems can cope with the coronavirus outbreak.
Sunday's 368 new deaths brought the country's death toll to 1,441, with 24,747 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
While the virus has begun spreading rapidly across Europe, Italy remains the second most heavily affected country after China, where the illness first emerged, and the outbreak has shown no signs of slowing.
The government is working urgently on procuring more protective equipment, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said, adding there was maximum attention on helping Lombardy, the northern region where the virus emerged three weeks ago.
"Our priority is to keep doctors, nurses and all our health personnel safe," Mr Conte said in a statement.
Lombardy, the heavily populated area around the financial capital Milan, has been the worst-affected region with 1,218 deaths. Of those, 252 were recorded in the last 24 hours.
"The numbers have continued to grow. We're close to the moment where we will have no more intensive care beds," Lombardy governor Attilio Fontana said.
The world's coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 156,000 people and killed more than 5,800, while nearly 74,000 people have recovered from it so far, mostly in China.
ABC/Reuters
