Health Secretary Matt Hancock says UK government is 'ramping up' testing for coronavirus He adds a new testing facility opened in Milton Keynes and 'over the last 24 hours we have shipped 7.5m pieces of protective equipment'
Italy - the world's worst-affected country with 6,820 confirmed deaths so far - has been under prolonged lockdown in an attempt to limit the spread of infections from the worst-hit northern region of Lombardy.Pierluigi Cocco, an Italian epidemiologist based in the Sardinian capital of Cagliari, tells the BBC that while it is too early to determine the reasons behind this, there may be many.
"Some can carry the virus without any symptoms, and others die quickly, with a whole range of severity in between," he says. There are other contributing factors, he says, such as the cultural and social attitude of Italians, who"like to meet in large groups and exchange signs of affection with each other". Families also remain close, with generations often socialising together.
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