Nearly 200 Italians died of coronavirus in 24 hours

(Image credit: Carlo Hermann/AFP/Getty Images)

Italy is reporting 12,462 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus — up from just over 300 two weeks ago — plus 827 deaths and 1,045 people who recovered from the virus. To give a sense of how fast Italy's epidemic is moving, nearly a quarter of the total deaths — 196 — occurred from Tuesday to Wednesday, Italy's Civil Protection Agency said Wednesday. And 149 of those deaths were in Lombardy, the epicenter of Italy's outbreak and home to Milan, the country's financial capital. In all, 617 people have died of coronavirus in Lombardy.

Efforts to contain the new coronavirus by locking down entire parts of Northern Italy failed, and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte put the entire country on lockdown this week. On Wednesday, he announced that the only business allowed to stay open are grocery stores, pharmacies, and other shops selling "essential" items.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.