‘In reality, the virus clinically no longer exists in Italy’

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.

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.

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 Feb. 21.

“We’ve got to get back to being a normal country,” he said. “Someone has to take responsibility for terrorising the country.”inf

A second doctor echoed Zangrillo’s observations. “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.

The government urged caution, saying it was far too soon to claim victory.

from:    https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/new-coronavirus-losing-potency-top-18340690