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LATEST: Number of new coronavirus cases in Italy drops below 3,000

Italy reported fewer than 3,000 new cases of Covid-19 in the previous 24 hours, the slowest daily increase in weeks, as the number of people hospitalised with the new coronavirus continues to fall.

Published: 14 April 2020 18:08 CEST

LATEST: Number of new coronavirus cases in Italy drops below 3,000

The Terme di Caracalla baths in Rome are lit with the colours of the Italian flag. Photo: Andreas Aolaro/AFP

Italy confirmed 2,972 new cases in the past day, the Civil Protection department announced on Tuesday evening, compared to 3,153 in the preceding 24 hours.

The rate at which cases are increasing day on day is now at just 1.9 percent, its lowest since Italy's outbreak began.

The country has now recorded a total of 162,488 cases since start of the outbreak, 21,067 of them fatal.

Another 602 people died in the past 24 hours, an increase from 566 the day before.

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Yet while deaths remain high, the pressure on Italian hospitals continues to ease. The number of people in intensive care fell by another 74 to 3,186, while patients in non-intensive care dropped by 12 to 28,011.

A total of 104,291 people are currently positive for the virus in Italy (+675 in the past 24 hours), while 37,130 have already recovered (+1,695).

Two Italian regions reported no new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday: Basilicata and Molise, which has now recorded no new infections for two days in a row.

Meanwhile Umbria reported just one new case in the past 24 hours.

With another four deaths confirmed in the past day, at least 116 doctors in Italy have died since contracting the new coronavirus.

More than 16,000 healthcare workers have tested positive, according to the national Higher Health Institute (ISS).

Member comments

Anonymous - 14 April 2020 at 21:04 CEST

Nice reporting, its really good to see how other regions are doing. thank you

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'In the dark': Why Brits in Italy are still unable to prove rights to free healthcare

Since the end of the Brexit transition period in 2021, many British nationals resident in Italy covered by the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) have reported difficulties in proving their right to free healthcare under the Italian public system.

The problem was exacerbated this year after the Italian government in January hiked the minimum annual fee for ‘voluntary’ healthcare registration from €387 to €2,000, which many said they were unable to pay.

The British government in February stepped in to clarify that UK nationals covered by the WA should not be subject to charges for healthcare, and on its Living in Italy website it advised those affected to show their local health authority office (Azienda Sanitaria Locale, or ASL) an official note published by the Italian health ministry on February 15th which sets out their rights (find it here, in Italian.)

WA beneficiaries “can compulsorily enrol (iscrizione obbligatoria) with the Italian National Health System,” states the final section, pointing out that the deal, “in Article 23, provides for equal treatment with domestic nationals.”

But for some local health officials, even this written confirmation does not appear to be enough to clear up the confusion.

READ ALSO: ‘Life or death situation’: Brits facing high Italian healthcare costs amid rule change uncertainty

The UK government on Friday, May 17th, updated its guidance to say it had become aware that “some beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement are facing significant problems accessing health services and renewing their healthcare cards,” despite its advice to show local health authorities the official note.

British nationals continue to report that local health authorities around Italy remain unwilling to issue them with a health card, while campaigners say the situation is further complicated for some by the fact that Italian authorities have also refused to issue proof of their permanent residency status, which entitles them to free healthcare.

This was the case for Graham Beresford, a British citizen living in Abruzzo who has been diagnosed with a rare cancer and remains unable to access the free healthcare he is entitled to, as he says local authorities don’t understand the post-Brexit rules.

Graham told The Local in April that the government’s clarifications on the issue had made little difference – his ASL continues to demand he pay the 2,000-euro charge.

READ ALSO: Can I get a refund after wrongly paying Italy’s €2,000 healthcare fee?

“Every time I go to my ASL office, I always feel like I’m dismissed,” Graham said. “I told the ASL worker I need medication for my cancer and she replied lots of people come in here with sob stories.

“There genuinely seems to be no compassion whatsoever.”

Graham’s story was reported in The Guardian on May 12th ahead of UK foreign secretary David Cameron’s first major meeting with European commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič to discuss post-Brexit relations.

Campaigners also wrote to Cameron in April to appeal for help with the “desperate” situation faced by those unable to access care in Italy.

In its update to the Living in Italy website on Friday, the British government stated: “Since [the health ministry’s note] was published, and particularly in recent days and weeks, it has become clear to us that not all Italian authorities are consistently following this guidance.”

“We are urgently speaking to all relevant parts of the Italian government to clarify the situation so that we can give clear advice to those affected as soon as possible.

“We also know that this problem is linked to the many difficulties some are experiencing with obtaining an attestazione di soggiorno permanente and/or the Carta di Soggiorno permanente. We are working to help with these issues too.

“We will update this page as soon as we have further news.”

READ ALSO: ‘We are desperate’: Why the UK must help Britons with Italian healthcare charges

Clarissa Killwick from Beyond Brexit, a group for UK citizens in Italy, said the situation “should never have been allowed to happen” and that there had been “a series of communication failures and inconsistencies.”

“We’re not far short of five months after the introduction of the €2,000 new minimum for voluntary contributions and there is still no clarity,” she added.

“There are fraught exchanges in public offices because people on both sides of the counter are in the dark or with conflicting information.

“People need information they can rely on, unequivocally. What do you say to someone who is waiting for an operation but has no idea what is going on?”

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