The new coronavirus is losing its potency and has become
much less lethal, a senior Italian doctor said on Sunday.
"In reality, the virus clinically no longer exists in
Italy," said Alberto Zangrillo, the head of the San Raffaele Hospital in
Milan in the northern region of Lombardy, which has borne the brunt of Italy's
coronavirus contagion.
"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 RAI
television.
Italy has the third highest death toll in the world from
Covid-19, with 33,415 people dying since the outbreak came to light on February
21. It has the sixth highest global tally of cases at 233,019.
However new infections and fatalities have fallen steadily
in May and the country is unwinding some of the most rigid lockdown
restrictions introduced anywhere on the continent.
Zangrillo said some experts were too alarmist about the
prospect of a second wave of infections and politicians needed to take into
account the new reality.
"We've got to get back to being a normal
country," he said. "Someone has to take responsibility for
terrorising the country."
The government urged caution, saying it was far too soon to
claim victory.
"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," Sandra Zampa, an undersecretary at the
health ministry, said 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."
A second doctor from northern Italy told the national ANSA
news agency that he was also seeing the coronavirus weaken. "The strength
the virus had two months ago is not the same strength it has today," said
Matteo Bassetti, head of the infectious diseases clinic at the San Martino
hospital in the city of Genoa.
"It is clear that today the Covid-19 disease is
different." - Reuters
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