Italy reports lowest number of new COVID-19 cases since February

Italy’s new coronavirus cases and fatalities are continuing to fall, with 178 new COVID-19 cases recorded over the last 24 hours on June 1, making it the smallest daily rise in cases since February 26. 

The country saw 60 COVID-19 deaths on June 1, compared to 75 the previous day. 

Six Italian regions recorded zero new infections on June 1: Sicily, Marche, Molise, Umbria,  Calabria and Basilicata, and nine regions registered no deaths: Veneto, Sicily, Calabria, Marche, Umbria, Trentino Alto Adige, Valle d’Aosta, Molise and Basilicata.

On Sunday, head of the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan Alberto Zangrillo stated that coronavirus was losing its potency in Italy. “In reality, the virus clinically no longer exists in Italy,” he said. 

“The swabs that were performed over the last 10 days showed a viral load in quantitative terms that was absolutely infinitesimal compared to the ones carried out a month or two months ago,” he told television broadcaster RAI. 

Despite the slowing rate of infection, the government has warned against assumptions that the virus is over. 

“Pending scientific evidence to support the thesis that the virus has disappeared … I would invite those who say they are sure of it not to confuse Italians,” said Sandra Zampa, Italy’s undersecretary of the health ministry, in a statement.

“We should instead invite Italians to maintain the maximum caution, maintain physical distancing, avoid large groups, to frequently wash their hands and to wear masks.”