A total of 132 people in Italy have been infected with the new strain of coronavirus as of Sunday, with authorities in two worst-hit regions scrambling to contain the outbreak.
"There have been 132 positive test results. Two people have died and one has recovered," Angelo Borelli, the head of the civil protection agency, told reporters.
Doctors are monitoring 129 other people, of whom 54 have been hospitalised. Twenty-six patients are in intensive care.
The majority of infections (88) were reported in the northern Lombardy province. Its president, Attilio Fontana, ordered on Sunday to shut all schools and cancel public events.
Neighboring Veneto, Italy's second worst-hit region with 24 infection cases, is considering halting the famous Venice carnival after two people in the main city fell ill with the COVID-19 disease.
"Unfortunately, two elderly people in their 80s are in intensive care. They are the first cases in Venice," Veneto President Luca Zaia told reporters.
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Fifteen infections have been detected in two other northern regions of Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont.
Emilia-Romagna authorities are considering banning public gatherings, while those in Piedmont have suspended university classes for a week.
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