EXPLAINED: Why is Italy's coronavirus death toll so high?
The official tally on Thursday surpassed the previous grim record of 969 deaths, set on March 27th, when Italy was under national lockdown after becoming the first European country to be hit by the global pandemic.
The Covid-19 death toll now stands at 58,038.
The daily toll has been markedly high since late November, with authorities warning on the 24th that the country could expect the number to remain high for at least “10-12 days”.
However this is the first time the figure has been higher than in March.
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