Coronavirus death toll in Italy jumps to 29 as number of infected passes 1,000

Italy reported eight new deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total number of deaths in the country as a result of the disease to 29. The Italian authorities have also confirmed as many as 239 new cases of people infected with the virus, raising the number of confirmed cases in Italy to 1,128.

Italy is experiencing the worst coronavirus outbreak seen in Europe so far. The deadly disease has spread to at least 48 countries from its point of origin, China, where some 80,000 people contracted COVID-19 and almost 3,000 have died.

Elsewhere in the world, more than 4,000 cases have been registered, with the death toll standing at around 70. The situation prompted the World Health Organization to update the coronavirus global risk assessment, describing it as “very high.”