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You’ve probably heard by now that Italy has been hit hard by the virus.

It’s now at the epicentre of the outbreak, and the country's president has urged other countries to learn from its struggle to slow the spread of Covid-19.

The number of recorded deaths there recently overtook those in China, where the virus originated last year. Italy reported 651 coronavirus deaths on Sunday and saw its toll for the past month reach 5,476, the highest in the world.

So why has Italy been so badly affected? A number of possible reasons have been mooted.

Some studies point to the large number of elderly people in the worst affected regions, such as Lombardy in the north. Italy also has the oldest population in the world after Japan with some 23% of people there over the age of 65.

This matters because the virus is especially dangerous for older people.

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The vast majority of Italy's fatal cases involved elderly people with at least one pre-existing condition, officials say. The average age of the first 3,200 people who died was 78.5.

Experts also say a large proportion of 18-34s live at home with these older people, which increases the risk of the virus spreading.

Another factor that may help explain Italy's crisis is the length of time the virus has been active.

Some health officials believe it arrived in Italy long before the first case was officially confirmed in late February. It likely spread undetected through northern Italy, possibly for several weeks.