Italy on Sunday reported its biggest one-day increase in cases and deaths during the coronavirus outbreak.
Italy recorded 3,590 cases and 398 deaths in a 24-hour period, Italy’s Civil Protection chief, Angelo Borrelli, announced Sunday, The Associated Press reported. In total, the country has confirmed more than 24,700 cases and more than 1,800 deaths.
The country, which has been on lockdown since last week, reports that almost 2,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus in the nation.
Italy’s previous record number of deaths in a 24-hour period was 250, which was announced Friday.
Italy’s national health institute chief, Silvio Brusaferro, said it is unclear if Italy is reaching its peak number of cases, meaning it could soon decline, according to the AP.
The World Health Organization has said most people will recover from the virus, and almost 74,000 have, mostly in China, where the virus is believed to have originated.
The coronavirus has infected more than 156,000 people and killed more than 5,800, leading several countries such as the U.S. to encourage so-called social distancing to avoid the spread of the virus.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CBS on Sunday morning that Italy left the virus “to its own devices,” leading the number of cases to “go way up.”
“That’s not going to happen if we do what we’re attempting to do and are doing,” he said on “Face The Nation.”