People wearing sanitary masks walk past the Duomo Gothic cathedral in Milan, Italy, on Sunday, Feb 23, 2020 (file photo)
Italy is yet to reach the peak when it comes to the number of coronavirus infections, the head of the country's national health institute
Silvio Brusaferro was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency on Friday. The remarks came a day after the European Union (EU) country reported more than 6,000 positive cases and 712 deaths in a 24-hour time period, the news agency noted.
Notably, coronavirus has wreaked havoc in Italy, with the country reporting the highest number of deaths due to the virus
in the world after coronavirus first surfaced in China's Hubei province last year.
“We haven’t reached the peak and we haven’t passed it,” Brusaferro, who heads the Superior Health Institute, reportedly said in a press conference. He added that there were "signs of a slowdown" in terms of the number of people being affected and the "peak" may not be far ahead.
“When the descent begins, how steep it is will depend on our behaviour," the UK-based agency quoted him as saying, in an apparent reference to how much the Italians would adhere to the government lockdown in place to check the further spread of the virus.
As of March 27, the US positive cases' count surpassed China, while Italy reported the largest number of deaths.
With a death toll of more than 8,200, more people have died in Italy due to the coronavirus than any other country in the world.
The global case count of positive cases stood at over 5.52 lakh, as of March 27, with the overall death count crossing 25,000 on the day.
Also read: UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock tests positive for coronavirus
