DOCTORS in coronavirus-ravaged northern Italy have been told to save ventilators for under-60s because of a desperate shortage, according to reports.

One medic said older patients are not being offered life-saving treatment as hospitals have been overwhelmed by thousands of critically ill sufferers.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

10 Patients on life support in Cremona Hospital, northern Italy Credit: Reuters

10 The country's overwhelmed intensive care wards are packed with Covid-19 patients

Italy is battling the world's worst coronavirus outbreak with more than 59,000 confirmed cases and 5,476 deaths.

The sickest patients are left gasping for air and need machines to help them breathe - but there are not enough to go round.

Israeli doctor Gai Peleg, who is working to save lives in Parma, said things are only getting worse as the number of patients keeps growing.

He told Israel's Channel 12 that in northern Italy the orders are not to allow those over 60 access to ventilators.

The limited number of machines are being saved for younger patients with a better chance of survival, he said.

Dr Peleg revealed in his department, which receives coronavirus patients who are terminally ill, the focus is on allowing contact with loved ones during their last moments despite the strict quarantine.

Health services across the world face shortages of equipment caused by the rapid spread of Covid-19.

In the UK, the NHS in racing to get more ventilators and struck a deal with private clinics to use their beds and equipment as the crisis grows.

10 Patients in northern Italy wear bubble-like apparatus on their heads to help with their breathing

10 Medics transport a coronavirus patient to hospital in Rome Credit: AP:Associated Press

10

In northern Italy, wards are already overrun with the number of patients who need urgent care.

Pictures last week showed sufferers being treated in "bubble helmets", while others were left on isolation trolleys on corridors.

Earlier this month doctors told how they had to make life-or-death decisions on who to treat after a "tsunami" of sickness.

Connor McAnish, a British doctor working on an intensive care unit in the region, described an "endless stream" of patients.

He told ITV: "They’ve had to build a tent outside the hospital [and] there are burials about every 30 minutes in the cemetery.

"With so many patients coming in, when someone dies it’s almost as if we say, 'OK we couldn’t do anything for this person, now we can take another person and see if their condition will improve'.”

Reports had previously emerged from Lombardy of patients who would normally be in intensive care having to be left on wards without the resources to properly treat them.

Response systems are also receiving in excess of 2,500 emergency calls per day.

Morgues and crematoriums are also unable to cope in cities such as Bergamo, where the Army was called in to ferry bodies elsewhere.

Yesterday a chilling picture showed a man in a face mask collapsed on a street in Rome.

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - BE IN THE KNOW Get the latest coronavirus news, facts and figures from around the world - plus essential advice for you and your family. To receive our Covid-19 newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here. To follow us on Facebook, simply 'Like' our Coronavirus page.

MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS GRINCHES Mum reveals HUGE Xmas gift haul for daughter - but some parents brand kid 'spoilt' RAPE HELL Schoolgirl, 16, ‘gang-raped, killed and dumped to slowly die on building site’ 'TOUGH S**T' Lawyer refuses to scrap 'offensive' LGOPNR number plate.. can you work it out? Exclusive ‘vital new info’ Maddie suspect’s lawyer claims to have bombshell evidence clearing him Exclusive FLIGHTMARE Brit millionaire reveals harrowing moment his ear was 'BITTEN OFF' by plane yob FORCED TO STARVE Epstein & Maxwell fed sex slaves fruit to keep them ‘prepubescent-thin'

Sunday alone saw another 5,560 new confirmed cases in Italy as the death toll rose by 651.

The mortality rate in the country is close to 10 per cent, partly due to the ageing population who are more likely to die if they catch it.

Total lockdowns have been imposed in Italy, France and Spain where police are using drones and the threat of jail to enforce the quarantine.

10 Chilling pictures show the moment a man wearing a face mask was found collapsed on the street in Italy Credit: Getty Images - Getty

10 The man is seen being taken into an ambulance by paramedics Credit: Getty Images - Getty

10 Military personnel unload the bodies of coronavirus victims in the city of Bergamo, Italy Credit: AP:Associated Press

10 Italy now has more than 59,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus Credit: AP:Associated Press

10 The majority of deaths are being seen in the northern region of Lombardy Credit: AP:Associated Press