Forty-five percent of Italians who have coronavirus do not exhibit any or only minimal symptoms, according to data released by the country’s National Institute of Health (ISS), the Independent reported on Tuesday.
Negating common perceptions that the virus attacks almost exclusively the elderly, the data also shows that 22% of infections in Italy have been those between the age of 19 and 50.
After China, Italy has the second most cases of coronavirus in the world, with at least 463 deaths and more than 9,000 cases.
ISS President Silvio Brusaferro said these figures should be a clear warning to young people in Italy to adhere to the recommendations of health officials.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stressed this point when he announced at a press conference that the entire nation of 60 million people would be on lockdown from Tuesday in an effort to limit the spread of the disease.
The prime minister criticized young people who have continued to go out at night after the public health emergency was declared on February 21, saying that this cannot be allowed any more.
Illustrating the dire situation in the country, which is one of the leading economic powers in the world, some doctors in Italy have compared the crisis to wartime, as they have to decide which of the thousands of patients should have the limited beds available.
In an attempt to make clear the severity of the situation, the head of infectious disease at Milan’s Sacco hospital, Dr. Massimo Galli, issued a dire warning that Italy is only at the beginning of the crisis.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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