Italy Experiences Increase In Cases Of COVID-19 Infection Cluster Euro 2020 Champion Party

JAKARTA - Italy again reported an increase in COVID-19 infection cases for the sixth day in a row, raising fears of a new wave of infections, despite a decline in the number of deaths.

Italy only reported three coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday against the previous 13 days, the lowest toll since last August. However, the number of new infections rose to 3,127 from 3,121 the day before.

Health experts believe the spike was triggered by celebrations of Italy's success in winning Euro 2020, sparking street parties in cities and towns, regardless of health protocols and social distancing among celebration participants.

The head of Italy's health agency, Franco Locatelli, said the average age of those infected was 28, due to parties and crowds (after Italy won Euro 20202).

"Meetings and crowds have helped the spread of the coronavirus," he told La Republica newspaper on Sunday.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19, excluding those in intensive care, stood at 1,136 on Sunday, up from 1,111 the day before, the health ministry said.

In addition, there were three new admissions to the intensive care unit compared to nine on Saturday, while the total number of intensive care patients fell to 156 from 162.

Meanwhile, the Italian government is expected to announce limited restrictions for people who have not been fully vaccinated next week, including barring them from being served in indoor restaurants or from entering discos, gyms, and sports stadiums.

As of Sunday afternoon, 49.9 percent of all Italians over the age of 12 had received the full COVID-19 vaccination.

Some 165,269 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the last day, compared with 244,797 previously, the health ministry said.

Italy has recorded 127,867 deaths related to COVID-19 since the outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after the UK and the eighth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.29 million cases to date.