11:31

A top Italian health official has warned of a “tsunami” effect on the hospital system as confirmed coronavirus cases in Italy rose to 1,128.

“The situation is, frankly, an emergency from the point of view of health system organisation,” Massimo Galli, a professor and director of infectious diseases at Milan’s Sacco hospital, told Corriere della Sera on Sunday.

“It is the equivalent of a tsunami for the number of patients with major diseases being hospitalised all together. For example, on Friday, before the new wave of cases arrived in Lombardy, there were 85 beds occupied by patients intubated for Covid-19, that’s a significant share of those available.”

Authorities in the Lombardy region, where 552 people are infected, have asked for a hospital to be made available solely for treating coronavirus and to be able to hire retired doctors and nurses to help with the workload.

There have been 29 deaths in Italy, the latest eight victims ranging between the ages of 79 and 90. Those who have died so far were suffering other serious health problems. Some 401 people have been hospitalised – 105 of them in intensive care – and 543 are at home. Fifty people have recovered.

Schools in Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, where there are 213 cases, and Veneto, where there 189, will be closed for another week. The virus has spread to 11 out of 20 Italian regions over the past week, wreaking havoc on the country’s already fragile economy.

The financial hub of Milan is endeavouring to return to normal, reopening museums and its famous Duomo, but the city was dealt a further blow after American Airlines announced it was suspending flights to Milan following the US State Department raising it travel warning for parts of Italy. Other airlines have also scrapped or reduced flights due to low demand for travel to Italy.

On Friday, the government announced financial relief for those living in 11 towns still under lockdown, businesses and the tourism sector while new measures worth €3.6bn to help the economy withstand the worst outbreak of coronavirus in Europe, and the third worst in the world, will be introduced this week, finance minister Roberto Gualtieri told La Repubblica on Sunday.