ROME (NYTIMES, REUTERS) - There is a growing sense in Italy that the worst may have passed. The weeks of locking down the country, centre of the world's deadliest coronavirus outbreak, may be starting to pay off, as officials announced this past week that the numbers of new infections had plateaued.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
ROME - There is a growing sense in Italy that the worst may have passed. The weeks of locking down the country, centre of the world's deadliest coronavirus outbreak, may be starting to pay off, as officials announced this past week that the numbers of new infections had plateaued.
The conservative president of the northeastern Veneto region has proposed a special"license" for Italians who possess antibodies that show they have had, and beaten, the virus. The former prime minister, Mr Matteo Renzi, a liberal, has spoken about a"Covid Pass" for the uninfected. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that while the lockdown remained in place, the government had begun working with scientists to determine how to send people who have recuperated back to work.
"We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel," said Mr Fabio Arrighini, a supervisor of an ambulance hotline in the Lombardy town of Brescia, which has one of the highest death rates in Italy."The calls have gone down." From an ethical perspective, she argued, the question of using antibodies as a basis for free movement reconciles a utilitarian vision of what is best for society with respect for individual humanity, by protecting"the most fragile, not marginalising them".Scientists in Italy, like their counterparts in Germany, the United States, China and beyond, are already studying whether antibodies are a potential source of protection or immunity from the virus.
Veneto plans to begin collecting 100,000 blood samples from people across the region - first from thousands of health care workers and then public employees - to study in labs the antibodies of people who have the virus and those who have healed from it. That helped eliminate an outbreak, and now officials plan to carry out antibody testing and genome sequencing on the entire population to detect patterns in who was and was not susceptible to the virus.
Without a proper strategy for the path ahead,"the most likely outcome is that the epidemic starts again". Mr Giuliano Martini, the mayor of Vo', said that he and the people in his town were grateful for the aggressive testing, which potentially saved hundreds of lives.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Spain's coronavirus patients surpass Italy, Germany's cases and deaths climb furtherMADRID (BLOOMBERG) - Spain's Covid-19 cases have surpassed Italy as Europe's two main epicentres continue to grapple with curtailing the virus.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
Fiat Chrysler starts ventilator component output in ItalyFiat Chrysler (FCA) has begun producing ventilator parts to help Italy's Siare Engineering boost its output of the medical equipment needed to ...
Read more »
Facebook launches fact-checking service on WhatsApp in ItalyMILAN: Facebook Inc. launched a service in Italy to check the accuracy of information on coronavirus circulating on its messaging platform ...
Read more »
Coronavirus: EU Commission apologises to Italy over response, deaths push higherROME (REUTERS) - The head of the European Commission apologised to Italy on Thursday (April 2) for a lack of solidarity from Europe in tackling its coronavirus crisis, but promised greater help in dealing with the economic fallout.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
Italy sees signs of hope despite 766 new virus deathsThe death toll from an outbreak of the coronavirus in Italy has climbed by 766 to 14,681, the Civil Protection Agency said on Friday, marginally ...
Read more »
Italy looks to safeguard biomedical valley leading fight against COVID-19Italy plans to tighten health checks to ensure that work is not disrupted in a small northern town specialising in the production of medical ...
Read more »