May 3, 2020 - World

Italy reports lowest daily death toll since first day of lockdown

A woman attends from her window a flash-mob to greet the beginning of phase 2 of the lockdown, Rome, Italy, May 3. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images

The Italian government announced that confirmed coronavirus deaths in the country increased by 174 on Sunday, well below the 474 jump it reported on Saturday.

Why it matters: It's the smallest daily increase in fatalities the country has seen since March 9, when the Italian government extended lockdown restrictions from northern Italy to the entire country.

  • With new cases also declining on Sunday from 1,900 to 1,389, the data suggests that the outbreak is continuing on a downward trend one day before Italy's government begins to ease its almost eight-week lockdown.
  • Manufacturing and construction are set to start back on May 4, followed by shops on May 14. Bars, restaurants, cafes and other nonessential businesses will not open until at least June 1, and broad social distancing measures will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Yes, but: In past weeks, the daily death count tended to fall Sundays and rise again the following day, according to NBC News.

The big picture: Total deaths from Italy's coronavirus outbreak stands at 28,884, and at least 210,717 people have tested positive for the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

  • At least 81,654 people in Italy have recovered from the virus.

Go deeper: Russia sees 4 days of record increases in coronavirus cases

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Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

An uptick in coronavirus cases in Europe is stoking fears that some countries, including France and Germany, could see a second wave, The New York Times reports.

The big picture: Both Germany and France have reported their highest number of new daily COVID-19 cases in months this past week. Some coronavirus mitigation efforts, like social distancing, aren't being enforced as strongly as they previously were.

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Updated 14 hours ago - Health

U.S. coronavirus updates

Data: The COVID Tracking Project; Note: Does not include probable deaths from New York City; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Despite some case decreases, COVID-19 deaths are on the rise in the U.S., with California reporting a record-high average this week.

Driving the news: President Trump said in an interview with “Axios on HBO” he thinks the coronavirus is as well-controlled in the U.S. as it can be, despite dramatic surges in new infections over the summer and more than 150,000 American deaths.

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Axios
Updated 2 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 9 a.m. ET: 19,128,901 — Total deaths: 715,555— Total recoveries — 11,591,028 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 9 a.m. ET: 4,884,406 — Total deaths: 160,111 — Total recoveries: 1,598,624 — Total tests: 59,652,675 — Map.
  3. Politics: Trump floats executive action even if stimulus deal is reached.
  4. Business: U.S. economy adds 1.8 million jobs in July — Household debt and credit delinquencies dropped in Q2.
  5. Sports: The pandemic's impact on how sports are played.
  6. 1 🎮 thing: Video gaming growth soars.
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