Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Italy’s slowing infection rate boosts case for lockdowns

The rate of new infections declined for a fourth consecutive day on Wednesday
Public gatherings have been banned and much of the economy is set to remain in a state of suspended animation for an indefinite time to come

Italy’s coronavirus infections rate slowed for a fourth successive day Wednesday as fresh evidence emerged that long and painful lockdowns against pandemics will work.

The latest data from the epicentre of the once-in-a-century outbreak comes with more and more nations weighing whether to close their own stores and factories – and for how long.

Analysts at one of the big US investment banks said evidence from Italy this week could determine whether much of the United States “will diverge or follow the Italian trajectory”.

Almost everything across the Mediterranean country has been closed for over two weeks.

Public gatherings have been banned and much of the economy is set to remain in a state of suspended animation for an indefinite time to come.

Analysts think Italy is sliding into its deepest recession in generations as a result.

But it is the price Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has decided to pay to slow the spread of a disease that has now killed 7,503 in Italy and infected almost 75,000.



“History will judge us,” the increasingly popular Italian leader told parliament on Wednesday.

“We must all contribute to the common good,” Conte said. “The government has acted with the utmost determination and speed.”

Wednesday’s figures showed deaths staying within the high but relative narrow range they had reached at the end of last week.
Health officials reported 683 new fatalities and 5,210 infections.

The overall rise in daily deaths among confirmed COVID-19 cases slowed to 10 per cent.

It had been as high as 57 per cent when the illness was still spreading exponentially on March 8.
The daily infections growth rate fell to a record low of 7.5 per cent.

The World Health Organisation’s deputy director Ranieri Guerra sounded pleased.

“The slowdown in the (infections) growth rate is extremely positive,” Guerra told Italy’s Capitale radio.

“I think the measures taken (by Italy) are absolutely correct – perhaps with a certain delay at the start, but that is understandable.”

The government-run National Research Council said 57 out of Italy’s 107 provinces have already hit their peak of the virus spread.

The numbers are improving “and the containment measures are delivering the desired effect, even if we are in the initial phase of the slowdown,” the research council said.

Italy’s data are being watched by global policymaker as they weigh the potential health benefits of imposing national lockdowns against their damaging economic side effects.

“The next 3-5 days are key to seeing if Italy’s lockdown measures are having an impact and if the US will diverge or follow the Italian trajectory,” the Morgan Stanley investment bank wrote on Tuesday.

“We do note, however, that the number of mortalities has slowed from an exponential increase since the lock down began,” the bank said.

There were still worrying signs in Italian regions such as Campania around Naples and Rome’s Lazio.

Deaths in the Naples region rose from 49 on Monday to 74 on Wednesday.

Those in and around Rome went up from 63 to 95 over the same span.

And deaths in the northern Piemonte region around the industrial city of Turin rose from 315 on Monday to 449 on Wednesday.
The figures for all three regions represent jumps of around 50 per cent in two days.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×